“As we age, the body changes, and these changes make us more susceptible.”
Retirement can be a time for many pleasant things, but increasing your alcohol consumption should not be one of them , experts say. Drinking alcohol in retirement may affect you more than it did a few years ago.
According to Dr. George F. Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the increase in alcohol consumption among people age 65 and older is a major concern given the greater health consequences of alcohol use among older adults.
< p>According to Dr. Koob, the percentage of older people who drink is growing every month, especially among women. And older people who drink do so more often than people under 65, he added.
“The baby boomer group (those born between 1946 and 1964) is changing the landscape of older drinking in the United States in two key ways,” says George Koob. – First, they have always been more likely to drink more and use other drugs than their predecessors, so the percentage of older adults who drink is growing.
The second way is based on numbers, CNN notes. The baby boomer generation is large, so the number of people who abuse alcohol, develop alcohol use disorders and die from it is growing, the expert said.
“The rapid increase in the number of people over 65 who drink could put more strain on our health care system,” said Dr. Koob.
The conversation about alcohol is changing as more people turn to alternatives to alcohol in “Given the historical role of alcohol in everyday life… older people may be less aware of the dangers of alcohol,” Koob said. he.
According to Koob, the first thing older people should know is that at age 70, a person will no longer react to alcohol in the same way as at age 30.
“As you age, your body changes. , and these changes make us more susceptible to some of the harmful effects of drinking alcohol,” he said.
As we age, the enzyme that breaks down alcohol decreases, according to Dr. Stephanie Collier, director of education for the department of geriatric psychiatry at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. She added that older people's response to drinking will be much stronger because their metabolism will slow down.
As people age, the body's water content also decreases, which helps increase blood alcohol concentrations, so the same A dose of alcohol taken at a younger age has a much greater impact years later.
These changes in how alcohol affects the body have serious implications for healthy aging, Koob says.
< p>The effects of alcohol on such things as driving ability, reaction time, memory and balance are greater in older people than in younger people, the scientist added.
Balance is a particularly serious problem given that The leading cause of injury among adults age 65 and older is falls while intoxicated, and research shows that falls while intoxicated tend to be more severe.
As Dr. Collier notes, combining alcohol and medications is also risky, and nearly 90% of older adults take at least one medication regularly.
“One study found that older adults are more likely to suffer from respiratory depression than younger people , after a combination of alcohol and opioids, emphasizes Dr. Koob. – This is concerning given that opioid overdose causes death primarily due to respiratory depression.
Alcohol can also weaken the body's ability to fight infection, which is even more concerning after the Covid-19 pandemic has had such a profound impact on the elderly population, Kub added.
Unfortunately, drinking large amounts of alcohol is harmful. for health, says Collier. She recommends that her patients not drink at all or switch to non-alcoholic beer if this is part of their habit.
If this seems like a challenge, she recommends trying to quit drinking for a week or two and see how you feel.
“If you reduce your alcohol intake and feel better, your body is helping you “says something,” states George Koob.
According to Koob, it may be more difficult to identify alcohol use disorders or drinking problems in older people who may have retired, are living alone or socialize less because the signs are less obvious.
Current dietary guidelines for Americans recommend no more than two drinks per day for men and one for women, according to Stephanie Collier. But less is more, Cube added.
“We think people at any age could benefit from taking a step back and looking at their current relationship with alcohol,”, he said. “We also believe that developing alternatives to drinking for relaxation, socializing and stress management can lead to reduced drinking and improved health.“
Recent Comments