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Alcohol Abuse Among Older Adults
By Jill Gonzalez
The American Geriatrics Society recommends that all adults ages 65 and older be asked about their alcohol use at least once each year. This means that at a minimum, people in this age group need to be questioned by their physician during their annual exam. In most cases, it is recommended that older adults be questioned about alcohol use a few times each year so that a clearer picture can be obtained of each person's alcohol usage.
The reason that alcohol abuse among older adults is of such concern to health care practitioners is that about half of all adults over the age of 65 drink alcohol on a regular basis. Sometimes this alcohol consumption is in direct conflict with prescribed medications that these individuals are taking. Older adults are also more sensitive to the effects of alcohol, so greater caution needs to be exercised by these individuals than their younger counterparts.
The risk factors that are associated with alcohol abuse among older adults include:
- Family history of alcohol abuse
- Emotional or social problems, including boredom, isolation, retirement or personal loss (such as spouse, family or friends)
- Medical or psychological problems, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, disability, pain, and hearing or vision loss
These risk factors are particularly important to be aware of when trying to understand the prevalence of alcohol abuse among older adults. As people age, they go through a tremendous number of changes. These changes are especially pronounced when the elderly start losing loved ones and have to deal with the loss of physical mobility.
As older adults become more isolated and depressed, it is understandable for many of them to turn to alcohol for relief from the emotional and/or physical pain that they are trying to learn to live with on a daily basis.
Why Is Drinking Alcohol More Dangerous for Seniors?
Changes occur in the body as we age, causing our systems to respond differently than they used to after ingesting alcohol and medications. For example, the same amount of alcohol that a person might be used to drinking will affect them differently as an older adult than it did when they were younger.
If a person used to drink two beers and feel little to no effect from the alcohol, by the time that person reaches the age of 65, he or she will start to notice that drinking two beers has a much more profound effect on them physically and mentally. This happens because with age, the body develops an increased sensitivity to alcohol and a decreased tolerance for it. When you combine these reactions to the various prescription medications that the majority of older adults take on a regular basis, many are putting themselves at significant risk.
The chronic illnesses that most older adults have play a significant role in making alcohol consumption problematic, not only because of the interaction with the medications they are taking, but also because of the physical toll that many of those illnesses have on the body. It is important for older adults to realize that mixing alcohol with medications is not only an unhealthy thing to do, it can be deadly in some cases.
Warning Signs of Alcohol Abuse in Older Adults
If you have an older parent who might be abusing alcohol, there are some warning signs that will alert you to a potential problem:
- Mood swings
- Irritability or anxiousness
- Suicidal thoughts
- Frequent falls, bruises or burns
- Memory loss
- Out of touch with friends or family
- Difficulty concentrating
- Poor hygiene
- Dizziness
- Headaches
If you notice any of these symptoms of alcohol abuse in an older adult, it is important that you approach them carefully about your concerns. The majority of older adults do not want to admit to anyone, including themselves, that a problem exists. If you can gently persuade them to talk to you or a health care provider about their general health, then you might have some luck getting them to reveal the existence of a drinking problem.
Once older adults are open to the idea of receiving help for their alcohol abuse, alcoholism treatment programs should work well for them. In fact, older adults generally respond to this type of treatment better than younger people do. For older adults, talking to their primary care physician is the best course of action they can take to avoid problems concerning alcohol and medications.
