Personally I don't buy the distinction and find it meaningless.
In any event, if there are no negative consequences to drinking, than it's not a problem. Keep drinking.
If there are consequences and problems, you are a problem drinker, by definition.
I guess there's a subtle difference that once the consequences are seen and someone can easily walk away, then they are a "problem drinker" and not an "alcoholic."
In reality, a large part of the problem is that people often don't recognized negative consequences until they bite them in the ass. Hard.
I think it's extremely common in those who really shouldn't drink to have consequences, and either ignore them, refuse to recognize them, or be unable to moderate or stop in spite of the consequences.