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Recent studies have found that alcohol use among adults 60 and over has increased during the past 20 years, especially among women.

The University of Michigan’s 2021 National Poll for Healthy Aging, for instance, found that 20% of older adults drank four times per week; 27% had at least six drinks on at least one occasion in the last year; and 7% reported experiencing alcohol-related blackouts.

“As the Baby Boomer [population] ages, people in it are bringing higher levels of alcohol [use] with them,” Dr. George Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), said in an interview with the Beacon.

According to a 2017 analysis from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 20% of adults 60-64 and 11% of adults over 65 reported that they engaged in binge drinking.

For men, binge drinking refers to consuming five or more drinks at a time at least once in the past month; for women, binge drinking is characterized as consuming four or more drinks at a time at least once in the past month.

“As with adults as a whole, the gaps between men and women in alcohol use, including binge drinking, are narrowing for older drinkers,” Koob said.

Aging magnifies ill effects

The increase in alcohol usage among older adults can be problematic, particularly because negative impacts develop alongside — and can be magnified by — the changes that naturally occur because of the aging process.

The following age-related issues make alcohol misuse more dangerous for older adults:

—Higher blood alcohol concentration. Aging lowers the body’s tolerance for alcohol.

“As we age, the amount of water in the body tends to decline,” Koob said. “Because alcohol is more concentrated in body fluids than in fat or muscle or bone, the reduction in body water leads to higher blood alcohol concentrations in older drinkers relative to same weight younger drinkers.”

Alcohol also stays in the system longer for older adults.

—Increased risk of falls. The risk of falls increases as people age, even more so when they drink alcohol.

In addition, the odds of being injured in a fall are “higher for older adults who drink than those who do not,” Koob said. “The injuries sustained for falls while intoxicated tend to be more severe than injuries from falls that don’t involve alcohol.”

—Negative impacts on the brain. During the aging process, the brain begins to shrink, leading to a decline in cognitive functioning and memory. But drinking alcohol reduces brain volume, too. When those normal changes are combined with misuse of alcohol, the impacts on the brain are significant.

—Health complications. Alcohol use contributes to or complicates other health issues often experienced by older adults, including diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and liver problems.

—Interactions with medications. Alcohol interacts in potentially dangerous or even fatal ways with many medications and herbal remedies used by older adults, including aspirin, acetaminophen, sleeping pills, pain medication, and medication for anxiety and depression.

Koob also pointed out that it can be more difficult to detect alcohol-related problems in older adults. “If someone is retired or living alone,” Koob said, “their alcohol use might not impact job performance or their ability to maintain social obligations.”

Koob advises doctors to consult with older patients about how much, how often, when and why they drink and to discuss the potential impacts of alcohol usage.

Read more about the risks of alcohol use among older adults on the NIAAA website: https://niaaa.scienceblog.com/103/alcohol-and-the-aging-brain/.

If you cannot control your drinking, be honest with your doctor and family. Visit aa-dc.org or call (202) 966-9115 for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting near you.