Why Older Adults Should Quit Drinking Alcohol

Alcohol and Physical Health

Over-consuming alcohol can always have a negative impact on your physical health, regardless of age, but according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, older adults can have an increased sensitivity to alcohol, increasing its effects.

Seniors may also have a predisposition to health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, which can be negatively impacted by alcohol. They are also more likely to take one or more medications, increasing their chances of having negative interactions.

Increased risk of high blood pressure and stroke

Alcohol increases the risk of high blood pressure. This is because drinking alcohol can raise the blood’s fat levels, which can clog your arteries, increase pressure, and potentially lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Studies by the American Heart Association have even shown that alcohol consumption can physically damage the heart by stretching and inflaming its walls. Of the 2,525 adults age 35 to 69 who participated, those who drank six drinks at one time or who drank regularly showed a nearly 70 percent greater chance of having heart inflammation than the average person.

Impacts on the liver

Chronic alcohol consumption can cause a host of liver conditions, including fatty liver, cirrhosis, and even cancer. According to the American Addiction Centers, this damage can be reversed, but only by reducing chronic alcohol consumption.

In its study, heavy drinkers abstained from drinking alcohol for two to three weeks. In that time, their blood sugar regulation improved, blood pressure and cholesterol numbers went down, and the enzymes that indicate liver disease decreased to normal levels.

Increased risk of developing certain types of cancer

Seniors can develop certain cancers, primarily cancers of the liver, esophagus, prostate/ovaries, and colon. According to a study that tracked cancer risk in 99,654 adults 55 to 74 years old, heavy or chronic alcohol consumption raised the risk of cancer and mortality by 0.13 to 0.30 against the control.

What this means is that heavy alcohol consumption was linked to as high as a 30 percent increased risk for cancer in the adults tested.

Higher risk of falls and fractures

The National Institute on Aging writes about older adults suffering more falls with increased alcohol use, leading to more fractures, hospitalizations, and accidental deaths. In fact, it linked alcohol to 65 percent of all falls that result in death. Since our bones get thinner and more brittle as we age, these falls are disproportionately dangerous for seniors who drink.

The risk of car accidents also goes up, with older drivers similarly more likely to get hurt or die in those accidents than younger drivers.

Alcohol and Mental Health

Physical health shouldn’t be the only consideration when assessing the effects of alcohol use on your well-being as you age. Mental health can also decline due to alcohol use.

Notably, this is true at any age. However, since seniors are already susceptible to mental health issues such as dementia and Alzheimer’s, the increased risk from alcohol consumption can further decrease your quality of life as you get older.

Cognitive decline

To assess the effects of alcohol use on cognitive decline in seniors, a Chinese study of 5,354 people age 65 to 112 years old showed that alcohol consumption raised the risk for cognitive decline.

Additionally, longer drinking years equated to more decline. The study demonstrated that while some cognitive decline is expected as we age, alcohol use increases the risk.

Depression and anxiety

Depression and anxiety increase in frequency with age, with adults ages 50 to 70+ experiencing the highest percentages (5.41 percent to 5.82 percent) compared to other age groups. This means that about 1 in every 18 seniors experiences depression.

According to a study conducted on 74 seniors with an average age of 63.4, alcohol dependency raised these numbers. When placed into the study and supported in practicing sobriety, 42 percent saw remission in their depression symptoms.

Increased risk of dementia

The link between alcohol and dementia warrants more research. The Alzheimer’s Society cited multiple research studies conducted on thousands of adults age 40 and up to learn whether behaviors like drinking correlated to a risk for age-related mental illnesses like dementia.

Alcohol reduces the brain’s ability to send signals between its different parts, which over time can impact our risk for age-related mental illness. Though more studies need to be done to confirm the link, other effects discussed so far, from high blood pressure to stress, can contribute to the suspected negative effects on mental longevity.

But If You Must Drink …

There’s no doubt that drinking can be fun. And why shouldn’t we have fun as we get older? For every person who overdoes alcohol to the point that it raises their risk of illness, there’s another person who gets joy from a great wine at dinner or an old scotch in the evening without hurting themselves or anyone else by doing so.

Despite the trend toward sobriety for some adults, not everyone needs to be so strict. Here are a few tips to make sure that when or if you drink, you do it in a way that will keep your doctor off your back.

Monitor and track alcohol consumption

Keeping track of how much alcohol you drink is as simple as it sounds. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines heavy drinking as four drinks in a day or 14 per week for men and three drinks in a day or seven per week for women.

Monitor your drinking to stay below this mark. If you have trouble keeping track by memory, write your drinks down on a pad or on your phone to keep them straight.

Avoid drinking on an empty stomach

Drinking on an empty stomach can increase the effects of alcohol, including the negative ones. A great way to make sure that you can handle your drinks is to always have them with food.

The plus side is that so many drinks pair so well with food that this is both a health tip and a tip to get more joy out of your drinking.

Alternate between alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages

Many adults drink alcohol even when they don’t really want to, such as when they’re thirsty, depressed, or even just bored. Reaching for alcohol by default is a great way to become dependent on it and risk the negative effects we’ve been talking about.

Mix it up with nonalcoholic beverages so that you’re always drinking alcohol on purpose. It’s better to enjoy it than to become reliant on it.

Choose lower-alcohol-content and lower-calorie drinks

Alcoholic drinks can contain a surprising number of calories, which can lead to weight gain, high blood pressure, and more. To make sure your drinking doesn’t get away from you, choose drinks with lower alcohol content and lower calories.

This will also reduce the risk of developing a tolerance, which can lead to increases in your intake over time.

Try nonalcoholic spirits

Along the same lines, nonalcoholic spirits can give you the taste of your favorite drinks without the alcohol content. Of course, it’s not exactly the same, but you may find that you drink less per week if you keep these options around the house.

Some great brands to look into for nonalcoholic spirits include Seedlip, Spiritless Kentucky, ArKay, Salcombe, and Monday.

Limit drinking to special occasions and social events

Even if you’re feeling pressured to limit your drinking during the week, you may still be able to enjoy a drink at special occasions, holidays, and social events with friends or colleagues.

Drinking can be an essential aspect of so many social experiences, and we recommend that all seniors make time for enjoying their days and being social. It’s important to remember that drinking responsibly doesn’t mean you have to go sober.

Seek help if drinking is becoming a problem

Importantly, each person’s tolerance for alcohol is as unique as their health. One person may drink 12 times per week with no negative effects, while for someone else, five times brings on negative physical and mental effects.

Use the knowledge in this article to figure out if the amount you currently drink is a problem for your quality of life. If you suspect that it might be, there’s plenty of help out there to get you to a healthier place.

Bottom Line

Most people enjoy a drink from time to time at any age, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, heavy drinking or becoming dependent on alcohol can increase your risk for many physical and mental ailments as you age, including high blood pressure and depression, as well as fatal accidents.

A great test to see if your drinking habits are affecting your well-being is to do a sobriety practice run for a week or a month. You may notice that you’re sleeping better, feeling less stressed, and even losing weight. Or you may not be able to resist drinking, which should tell you that you’re becoming dependent on it.

There’s help out there for you if you want to start drinking more responsibly. Just remember that most adults don’t need to completely eliminate alcohol. They just need to understand its effects a bit better as they age.