Alcohol Use: Its Meaning and Impact in Older Age

Bareham, B; Seddon, J

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-04017-7_12

Alcohol Use: Its Meaning and Impact in Older Age

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Beth Bareham

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This is the authors' accepted manuscript of a book chapter that has been published in its final definitive form by Palgrave MacMillan, 2022.

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Abstract

Drinking is the norm in many current older populations, with up to nine in ten older people aged 50 or over consuming alcohol at some level in high-income countries (Towers et al., 2017). Within the United Kingdom, 20% of this group consume alcohol at hazardous or harmful levels, where alcohol intake could result, or has resulted, in physical, psychological or social harm (Wadd, 2020). Risk of alcohol-related harm increases in older age. Physiological changes associated with the ageing process mean older people have a lower tolerance to alcohol, and may experience harm from drinking at levels considered low-risk for the general population (Blow & Barry, 2012). Older people can experience reduced coordination and associated falls and injuries (Moore et al., 2007; Quillian et al., 1999) and take longer to recover from any alcohol-related harm (Boule & Kovacs, 2017; Merrick et al., 2008). Older people are also more likely to have chronic medical conditions—such as heart disease, diabetes and cognitive impairment, many of which can be exacerbated by drinking—or use medications that interact harmfully with alcohol (Choi et al., 2016).