As an Older Adult Should I be Concerned?

The term "older adult" refers to people 60 and older. However, age-related changes vary tremendously among individuals. Some of the age-related changes that affect the body's reactions to alcohol and other drugs begin as early as 50 and relate to how the body processes medication and alcohol. You may notice that an over-the-counter drug you used to take for sleeping, or for a headache, affects you differently as you have aged. This is because the body's processing of substances is not as efficient as it once was. In other words, your body is slow to rid itself of drugs and alcohol, causing a build up of toxic chemicals in your body. Other factors, such as your heart's efficiency, and the health of your kidneys and prostate also affect how your body processes chemicals from drugs and alcohol. Women tend not to tolerate alcohol consumption as efficiently as do men (in other words, the same amount may affect women more than it does men).

There are also social conditions that affect the tendency to misuse alcohol. Because drinking is considered a social activity, drinking by yourself may indicate you are consuming alcohol for other reasons. (e.g., loneliness, depression, boredom) Also, if you try to disguise the fact you are drinking, or hide your alcohol, this may be another indicator of a problem. Therefore, if you currently drink, you may need to be concerned if

• you are 60 or older
  
• you live alone
  
• you are recently widowed
  
• you are not in good health
  
• you take prescription or over-the-counter medication
  
• you use more than the prescribed amount of medication
  
• you have few social contacts
  
• you hide alcohol
  
• you disguise your use of alcohol

Evaluate what your drinking habits are and whether your drinking habits have changed. For example, professionals know that there are two categories of "problem" drinkers . "Problem" drinkers (also referred to as "heavy" drinkers) refer to those people who are using alcohol on a regular basis and drinking more than two drinks per day. These two categories are early onset and late onset drinkers.

Early onset drinkers are people who began drinking alcohol at an early age, on a regular basis. They may have begun as moderate drinkers who gradually drank more as their tolerance level increased. Early onset drinkers have a more difficult time in stopping their misuse because they have years of behavior to correct.

Late onset drinkers are those people who have begun drinking in their later years. This may occur because of retirement, more chances to socialize where alcohol is being served, depression over the death of a spouse, or loss of friends due to death and moving. Late onset drinkers have a very high recovery rate once they recognize that their drinking is inhibiting their life style.

For individuals over the age of 65, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) offers recommendations for low-risk drinking which include:

• No more than one drink per day
  
• Maximum of two drinks on any drinking occasion (New Year's Eve, weddings)
  
• Limits for older women should be less than 1 standard drink per day

To help you better evaluate try taking this test:
Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test - Geriatric Version (S-MAST-G)