Alcohol Abuse Among Seniors Skyrocketing

Teens get all the press for their heavy drinking while alcohol abuse among the elderly is swept under the rug. Unfortunately, excessive drinking by elder Americans is reaching epidemic levels.

"About one-sixth of U.S. adults over 60 drink too much," reports UPI health
correspondent Alex Cukan in a recent article, "and one-third of these are adults who had not overdone drinking until later in life, according to the Elder Law Journal."

Generally occurring quietly behind closed doors, overindulgence by the elderly often goes unnoticed. Many seniors seek solace in alcohol as an escape from solitary lives, limited social contact, depression, ill health, disability or loss of independence. Unfortunately, the decline in physical abilities that accompanies aging places drunken or tipsy seniors at considerable risk for injury. Mr. Cukan cites the tragic death of actor William Holden at 63 who bled to death after striking his head on a table when he fell while drunk. As he lived alone, Mr. Holden's death was not discovered for several days.

Combining alcohol with many of the medications commonly taken by seniors can create a deadly cocktail. Arthritis medication may cause stomach bleeding when mixed with alcohol. Drink can also worsen the symptoms of depression, insomnia and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Since alcohol acts as a blood thinner, it may lower the risk of heart disease when taken in moderation, but it raises the risk of stroke, not a particularly healthy trade-off. And moderation is the key, as in all things. Over-imbibing negates any potentially positive effects of alcohol leaving you with only a growing rate of risk. The effects of drunkenness may also mask symptoms of other serious medical conditions.

"Older women are more likely than older men to self-medicate with alcohol and
prescription drugs in order to deal with loneliness, financial insecurity or loss of a spouse, according to the book Women Under the Influence by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse," Mr. Cukan reports.

Symptoms of alcohol abuse include depression, memory loss, irritability, stomach upset and trouble sleeping. Often friends and families, even physicians, are shocked to find out gram or gramps is abusing alcohol and go through a period of rationalization or denial. If you suspect someone you love is abusing alcohol, don't hesitate to act. You could very well save their life.