Alcoholism Today in Seniors and Younger Generations

Seniors and Younger People Experience Alcoholism Differently.

Alcoholism affects various age populations differently, in part, because they have different behaviors. For example, college students experience different consequences than older citizens, especially those at retirement age or beyond. So, when we think about alcohol use disorders, we don’t usually think of senior citizens who simply don’t make as many headlines.

A younger alcoholic might get involved in a drinking and driving incident or a fight that leads to an arrest creating a report on the police blotter. A senior, however, may get drunk, fall down and get injured.

Outside of the family, the world may never know that alcohol was involved. Another risk factor that jeopardizes older alcoholics is the potential negative interactions with prescription medications, which they might take on a daily basis. Even when their condition is chronic and causing internal problems like liver or brain damage, or exacerbating other health problems like diabetes, osteoporosis, or memory loss, seniors often suffer in silence.

Evidence backs this up.

In a comparative study published on the National Library of Medicine, “Prevention of problematic alcohol use is mainly focused on younger adults, while heavy drinking in middle-aged and older adults might be more frequent with more impact on functioning and health care use.” Family members know about the drinking, but they’ve seen it for so long that everyone throws up their hands and accepts it.

Several families have that older, “grumpy” relative that can kill a bottle of whiskey or vodka by themselves yet will refuse to admit they have a drinking problem.

To use an example cited by the National Institute of Aging, there may be less obvious situations, such as “Grandma Betty,” who was “a teetotaler all her life until she started having a drink each night to help her get to sleep after her husband died. Now, no one realizes that she needs a couple of drinks to get through each day.”

One thing both groups, young and old, have in common is that their addiction is often underestimated.

Younger people, for instance, are often given a “pass” because excessive drinking in those ages is accepted by society. Heaving alcohol consumption in one’s early 20’s is considered a phase young people transition through, a rite of passage as they escape the confines of living with their parents, the wild and crazy days of youth before marriage, etc. For many, family obligations kick in and they “grow out” of their binge drinking, but for some, the drinking gets worse.

Statistics by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism paint an alarming picture of the ramifications, with over 1,500 college students dying every year in alcohol-related incidents, 696,000 being assaulted and 97,000 students sexually assaulted or raped by students who were drinking, and a fourth of students seeing their academics negatively impacted because of alcohol. “Around 9 percent of full-time college students ages 18 to 22 meet the criteria for past-year AUD [Alcohol Use Disorder],” NIAAA reports.

Alcoholism is alive and well in all age populations today and requires a refocus on younger and older generations to get them the help they need to recover. These groups should no longer be overlooked or sidelined in the battle to save alcohol-addicted persons.

Gulf Breeze Recovery is here to help!

If you or someone you care about, has an ongoing history of alcohol or substance use and/or relapse, contact Gulf Breeze Recovery or call: (855) 433-4480 to speak to an addiction expert to learn more about their residential program, out-patient program, and intensive out-patient program, and which of these can best fit your individual needs.  These programs have helped many people overcome their addiction and embrace their new happy, healthy, substance-free lifestyle.

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