Most people associate alcohol abuse with teenagers but, while underage drinking is a large problem in America and much effort is focused on its prevention, older adults may be at significant risk for alcohol abuse as well. Changes in the body as we age may cause alcohol to affect the body differently and put us at an increased risk for falling, affect memory function and a variety of other problems.
Although older adults make up only 12 percent of the population, they consume 25 to 30 percent of all prescription medications. Alcohol can interact with medications in several ways: prevent your body from breaking the drug down, decrease a drug's therapeutic effects and/or transform some drugs into potentially toxic substances. For more information, see Harmful Interactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines, a publication of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
While current nutrition recommendations allow two alcoholic beverages per day for men and one per day for women, older adults should be cautious when consuming alcohol. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends older adults have no more than one drink per day. If you choose to consume alcohol, remember that a standard alcoholic beverage contains 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol. That amount is equivalent to:
- 12 ounces of beer
- 5 ounces of wine
- 1.5 ounces of hard liquor
Signs of alcoholism vary from person to person. The National Institute on Aging recommends seeking help if you or a loved one:
- Drink to calm your nerves, forget worries or reduce depression
- Gulp down drinks
- Frequently have more than one drink per day
- Lie about or try to hide drinking
- Hurt yourself or others while drinking
- Feel irritable, resentful or unreasonable when not drinking
- Have medical, social or financial worries caused by drinking
If you think that you have a problem with alcohol abuse, or are caring for someone who has a problem with alcohol abuse, talk to your health provider. He or she should have information about treatment programs or other options in your area that can help you deal with an alcohol abuse problem. For more information, visit the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health.
For additional information about depression, visit this learning lesson: Recognizing Depression in an Older Adult
