Retirement may be time for a lot of fun things, but an increase in drinking shouldn’t be one of them, experts say.
A rise in drinking for people 65 and older is a big problem given the greater health impacts that come with alcohol for older adults, said Dr. George F. Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
The percentage of older adults who drink each month is increasing — particularly for women, Koob said. And older adults who do drink do so more frequently than people younger than 65 years old, he added.
“The Baby Boomer cohort (born from 1946 to 1964) is changing the landscape of alcohol use among older people in the US in two key ways,” Koob said via email. “First, they have always had a tendency to drink more, as well as use other drugs more, than the cohort before them, so the percentage of older people who drink is going up.”
Non-alcoholic beverages are seen at Hekate Cafe and Elixer Lounge on January 20, 2023 in New York City. Alcohol-free bars, dance parties and âsober curiousâ events in New York City are experiencing an uptick in popularity with people drinking less and looking for alternative solutions to enjoying nightlife not centered around alcohol. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
The second way is from sheer numbers. The baby boomer generation is large, so the number of people who binge drink, develop alcohol use disorder and die from alcohol is on the rise, he said.
“The rapid growth in the number of drinkers over age 65 could place an increasing burden on our healthcare system,” he said.
Conversations around alcohol have been changing as more people have moved toward alcohol alternatives for a healthy lifestyle, but that culture has been led largely by younger people, Koob said.
“Given alcohol’s historical role in the fabric of everyday life … the aged population may be less aware of the harms,” he said.
A lower tolerance as you age
The first thing older adults should know is that a person isn’t going to react to alcohol the same way in their 70s as they did in their 30s, Koob said.
“The body changes as we age, and these changes render us more susceptible to some of the harms that stem from alcohol use,” he said.