Older adults' alcohol consumption and late-life drinking problems: a 20-year perspective

The aim of this study was to identify changes in patterns of alcohol consumption over a 20-year interval among older women and men, and to examine the associations between guideline-defined excessive drinking and late-life drinking problems. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS AND MEASURES: A community sample of 719 adults between 55 and 65 years of age who consumed alcohol at or prior to baseline participated in a survey of alcohol consumption and drinking problems and was followed 10 years and 20 years later.

The likelihood of excessive drinking declined over the 20-year interval as adults matured into their 70s and 80s. However, at ages 75-85, 27.1% of women and 48.6% of men consumed more than two drinks per day or seven drinks per week. At comparable guideline levels of alcohol consumption, older men were more likely to have drinking problems than were older women. Consumption of more than two drinks per day or seven drinks per week was identified as a potential conservative guideline for identifying excessive drinking associated with an elevated likelihood of drinking problems.

A substantial percentage of older adults who consume alcohol engage in guideline-defined excessive drinking and incur drinking problems. The finding that older men may be more likely than older women to experience problems when they drink beyond guideline levels suggests that alcohol guidelines for men should not be set higher than those for women.