The NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has released some troubling news. Alcohol misuse and alcohol-related harms are increasing among older Americans and at a faster rate for women than men.
Alcohol misuse refers to drinking in a manner, situation, amount or frequency that could cause harm to the person who drinks or to those around them. It includes binge drinking and alcoholism.
Evelyn Rudd, professor of nursing at Keiser University, says the problem is serious. “During the pandemic, it’s estimated that drinking among people 60 years and older increased 20 percent.
“If the individual suffered from anxiety or depression beforehand, he or she drank even more.
And although alcohol related deaths in the United States had been on the rise since 2011, the increase during the pandemic was greater, by far.”
And pandemic drinkers haven’t stopped drinking.
Dr. George F. Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says the percentage of older adults who drink each month continues to increase, with women outpacing men. And older adults who do drink do so more frequently than people younger than 65 years old.
So, other than stress caused by the pandemic, what’s behind the increase? And now that we’re several years past COVID’s darkest days, why is the trend continuing?
Rudd says there’s multiple reasons. “Today’s seniors were part of a social drinking generation. Many were members of the country club set, where having a cocktail became more of a habit and was rarely criticized.
“A lot of today’s older females grew up during the Women’s Lib movement, where it was acceptable for women to go out drinking without men and where their independence blossomed like never before.
“And of course, the people who grew up in the drug-accepting culture of the 1960s and 1970s hippie movement are in their 70s and 80s today.
“All of these social changes have affected the way people came to view alcohol as an accepted and enjoyable part of their lives.”
Dr. Keith Humphreys, a psychologist and addiction researcher at Stanford University, concurs. He says that compared to those before and after them, Boomers are a substance-using generation. And they’re not abandoning their youthful behavior.
Humphreys explains that contrary to stereotypes, upper-middle-class, educated people have higher rates of drinking than less affluent cohorts. Adding to Rudd’s analysis, he states that in recent decades more highly educated women entered workplaces where drinking was normative.
Plus, they also had more disposable income. Women retiring now are more likely to drink than their mothers and grandmothers, he explained.
Unfortunately, the way that alcohol is tolerated by someone in their 70s is a far cry from how it was tolerated when they were in their 30s.
The University of Rochester Medical Center explains that as you age, you become more sensitive to alcohol’s effects. After age 65, your lean body mass and water content drop, and your metabolism slows down.
Alcohol stays in your system longer, so if you have several drinks as a senior, the amount of alcohol in your blood is higher than it would have been when you were younger. Older adults also are more likely to have balance, hearing and eyesight problems, and they tend to have slower reaction times, too. This puts them at higher risk for falls, broken bones, and car crashes tied to the effects of alcohol.
“It’s kind of a Catch-22,” explains Rudd. “People may be aware of the risk of ‘too much’ before they start drinking but once they’re under the influence their judgment can be affected.”
Seniors also may eat less, which can increase the impact of alcohol consumed on an empty stomach. Prevention Health magazine says there are lots of reasons why people tend to eat less once they hit their 60s. The brain tells you’re full when you’re not. Some prescriptions affect your appetite, while others change the taste of food or dry up saliva, making the act of eating unappealing. Others zap your hunger pangs entirely.
There may be social or psychological reasons too, says Rudd. “If you’re lonely, you may not bother to eat at all. If you’ve had a drink, you may forget you haven’t eaten.”
Seniors are more apt than younger people to be on medications that don’t interact well with alcohol. Johns Hopkins Medicine explains that some medical conditions in people older than age 65 can worsen with alcohol’s effects. These include diabetes, high blood pressure and ulcers.
Some prescription and over-the-counter medicines and herbal products can interact negatively with alcohol, too. Medicines and alcohol can interact even if they’re not taken at the same time. That’s because the drug may still be in your blood when you have a drink.
Alcohol is also linked to mental health problems like depression and suicide in older adults.
Mayo Clinic offers tips on how to identify signs of alcohol abuse:
- Change in daily patterns, including changes in eating and appearance.
- Drinking larger quantities of alcohol and drinking more frequently.
Loss of interest in what you used to care about most, including family, friends, hobbies and health. - Separation from close friends and family because of shame, guilt or embarrassment
Rudd lays out some steps that can be taken to help control alcohol consumption. “Men shouldn’t exceed two drinks a day and women, one. And, of course, they shouldn’t drive or operate any machinery.
“Fortunately, there are a lot of non-alcoholic beers and wines available today, as well as delicious mocktails. You can take part in events where there is social drinking and still keep your consumption down by sipping one of these.
“Know your own body. And don’t hesitate to seek help from your primary care doctor or a psychiatrist if you can’t control the amount you drink.”
Professor Evelyn Rudd has been a faculty member at Keiser University for four and a half years. She teaches Care Management for the BSN Medical-Surgical second semester nursing students, as well as Professional Nursing I and II for the first-semester nursing students. Professor Rudd holds a master’s degree in nursing and is certified as a Clinical Nurse Leader. She has over 26 years of experience in nursing.
