This can be dangerous for people who already have slower reaction times and poor balance without alcohol. 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. This is especially important as many adults are drinking in high amounts. According to the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, administered by the U.S. federal government, about 20% of adults 60 to 64 and about 10% of those 65 and older say they binge drink. Binge drinking is typically defined as consuming four or more drinks within two hours for women and five or more drinks within two hours for men.
Alcohol Can Negatively Affect Cognitive and Mental Health
Nonetheless, unhealthy drinking can harm one’s health and well-being. Stay within guidelines and avoid using alcohol as a means of dealing with problems such as insomnia, depression or pain. Although drinking and alcohol problems are less common in older adults than drug addiction younger people, alcohol use in older adulthood brings specific risks for seniors. As we age, changes to our body composition and ability to metabolize alcohol mean that alcohol affects older adults more profoundly when they drink. Some evidence even suggests that older drinkers are less aware of these effects, even as they are experiencing them. You might have a few drinks in hopes of forgetting your troubles.
Life expectancy
But these alone may not be enough, so ask your doctor about additional treatment options. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., issued an advisory warning of the link between alcohol consumption and certain cancers. Murthy noted that consuming alcohol increases the risk of liver, breast, esophageal, colorectal, esophageal, larynx, mouth and throat cancers. Even among the positive studies, potential health benefits are often quite small. In addition, alcohol may reduce the risk of one condition (such as cardiovascular disease) while increasing the risk of another (such as cancer).
Alcohol and your health: Risks, benefits, and controversies
If you’re clocking more than seven drinks a week or more than three on any given day, doctors and health experts recommend changing your habits. Even if you haven’t hit that upper limit, you could benefit from drinking less as you get older. According to the World Health Organization, no level of alcohol consumption is considered safe. Drinking too much can raise your blood pressure, too, making it especially risky for people who already have hypertension.
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Alcohol abuse in older adults is a quiet but serious problem. It may not be as easy to recognize, but alcoholism in older adults is common. If you believe that you or a loved one has problems with alcohol, you alcohol and aging can contact your family doctor and they can perform a substance abuse screening.
Anton emphasizes that exercise doesn’t necessarily have a direct effect on how alcohol is metabolized, so it shouldn’t be an excuse to start drinking. “When people are thinking about drinking, and if they choose to do so, it should be part of a healthy lifestyle,” Rimm says. But newer research has questioned some of the heart benefits of moderate drinking and has noted key limitations in many analyses.
Misuse of alcohol can accelerate age-related changes, including systemic inflammation and sleep disturbances, according to the same study in the journal Alcohol. As an individual’s body changes with age, so may a person’s tolerance when it comes to drinking. One global study found that no amount of alcohol is completely safe and that alcohol was the biggest risk factor for disease worldwide. Another more recent study found https://ecosoberhouse.com/ that any amount of alcohol causes harm to the brain. Unfortunately, the already low levels of these enzymes continue to decrease as women age, meaning that alcohol is metabolized (changed into a form your body can use) much more slowly.
- Start by reaching out to acquaintances — people you regularly run into but aren’t friends with yet.
- Preliminary research supports Dry January’s benefits, from helping reduce people’s blood pressure, weight and insulin resistance to prompting them to reconsider their long-term relationship with alcohol.
- Consider your current health conditions and medications before you drink.
- You might want to limit yourself to a certain number of drinks per sitting.
This leaves a larger amount of alcohol in your bloodstream. This causes the effects of alcohol to be stronger, even if you’re drinking the same amount you always have. Growing evidence suggests that even casual drinking may increase the risk of some cancers, fatty liver cirrhosis, and other chronic health conditions. Though the study found that moderate drinking may reduce depressive symptoms, it’s important to be aware of the risks to physical health. “While moderate drinking might provide short-term relief for mood, the physical risks can add up over time and should be carefully considered,” Hsu said. Watching an aging parent or other loved one struggle with a drinking habit can be a painful experience.
Your liver processes alcohol, and like the rest of your body, this organ isn’t getting any younger. That’s a big reason an aging body becomes more sensitive to alcohol. Here are seven reasons why doctors and public health experts say age and alcohol don’t mix.
