Author: Gary Jackson

Alcohol and Aging: Effects of Drinking in Older Adults

If other family members have also noticed the drinking problem, you can set up a family meeting to broach the subject. Or a how-to book about something you’re knowledgeable about. If you have grandkids, you could compile a family history or photo albums to pass down to them. Or start a blog about your life and experiences.

If you believe that you or a loved one has problems with alcohol, you can contact your family doctor and they can perform a substance abuse screening. Receive free access to exclusive content, a personalized homepage based on your interests, and a weekly newsletter with the topics of your choice. Certain medications and excessive alcohol can work in tandem to suppress or amplify the effects of the other. Alcohol can diminish the effectiveness of medications, and medications can amplify the effect of alcohol on the body. The total amount of water in one’s body also decreases with age. This means that when alcohol is consumed, more of it ends up in the bloodstream, which amplifies its effects on the body.

Learn more in our guide to Overcoming Alcohol Addiction. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information. We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand.

Effects of drinking as you age

A chief reason for these more damaging effects is changes in the liver — the primary organ that processes alcohol when it’s consumed. Older people are not able to metabolize alcohol as well as younger people because of a decrease in the activation level of specific liver enzymes. But drinking like you used to can lead to even bigger problems. Alcohol tolerance can be significantly diminished as people age, and the effects of alcohol can be exacerbated due to an array of factors. Additionally, alcohol can damage the nerves in the inner ear, affecting balance. This is a recipe for falls, which are typically much more traumatic in older adults and can even be deadly.

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1. Remember to practice self-care and prioritize your needs.
2. You can also reconnect with old friends via social media and then schedule online get-togethers.
3. People who drink may notice that they’re “feeling no pain” sooner as they get older.
4. Help with a clothing drive or mentoring program.
5. If you have beer in the fridge or wine in the dining room, it’s too easy to reach for a drink at the end of a stressful day.

That can be particularly hard on seniors, who are already more likely to wake up often or have a sleep disorder like insomnia. Dr. Kling recommends that people going through menopause limit alcohol to one drink a day or less, in addition to eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly. Dr. Oesterle leads Mayo Clinic’s inpatient rehabilitation program for addiction and says he often sees alcohol use become a problem for people after they retire. When these people were employed, they may have been too busy to consume copious amounts of alcohol. But without a routine or daily responsibilities, alcohol use can more easily spiral, he says. Cultural norms would have you believe that drinking is integral to certain activities, like a wedding reception, football game, brunch or night out on the town.

An aging parent might push back on the idea that they have a drinking problem. They might say that they know what’s best for their health. They might eventually see past their own sense of denial.

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Other evidence of alcohol-related signs of aging is mostly anecdotal and includes stories of alcohol leading to wrinkles and inflammation. Skin, however, does have the ability to bounce back (for the most part), depending on the length of the heavy drinking. Giving up alcohol may allow the skin to begin regeneration. When you drink alcohol, it’s absorbed through the small intestine, processed by the liver, and circulated through your major organs. As you get older, you have less muscle mass and your liver isn’t as strong.

Tips and resources for older adults

Extrinsic aging is when your skin ages faster than it should because of your environment and how you live. That’s where alcohol comes in — it dehydrates you and dries out your skin. Most of us want to live a long, healthy life, but how do we do that? Those who maintain that they can hold their liquor, meaning that they can drink larger amounts with fewer apparent effects, may drink in excess to feel intoxicated.

Alcohol can exacerbate conditions that are common in older individuals, such as high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes, liver problems, ulcers, or impaired memory. Alcohol abuse in older people has become more common in the past few decades. Alcohol is now the most abused substance among people over 65. Alcoholism is often overlooked or misdiagnosed in older people.

This can be especially serious for older people. Researchers are also studying the possibility that alcoholic liver disease might be caused, at least in part, by your immune system attacking healthy body tissues. Every alcoholic drink goes “straight to your head,” or at least to your brain. Heavy drinking over a long time can shrink brain cells and lead to alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) and certain types of dementia. Symptoms of that include lack of judgment, organization, or emotional control, trouble staying focused, and anger issues. Alcohol can affect the way some vital organs work and make them age faster.

Why older adults drink

People older than 65 who don’t take any medications should average no more than one drink a day (seven per week) and have no more than three at one sitting. (A drink is one 12-ounce can or bottle of beer, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or one 1.5-ounce shot of an 80-proof or less liquor.) Talk with your doctor to find out what’s right for you. The idea of having a drink to relax before bedtime may not be a good one, especially as you get older. Instead of lulling you into a restful night, alcohol can actually keep you from getting to sleep and lead to restless slumber.