A national 2008 survey found that about 40 percent of adults ages 65 and older drink alcohol. Older adults can experience a variety of problems from drinking alcohol, especially those who take certain medications, have health problems, and/or drink heavily.

There are special considerations facing older adults who drink, including:

Increased Sensitivity to Alcohol
Aging can lower the body’s tolerance for alcohol.  Older adults generally experience the effects of alcohol more quickly than when they were younger.  This puts older adults at higher risks for falls, car crashes, and other unintentional injuries that may result from drinking.

 Increased Health Problems
Certain health problems are common in older adults. Heavy drinking can make these problems worse, including: diabetes, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, liver problems, osteoporosis, memory problems, and mood disorders.

Bad Interactions with Medications
Many prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as herbal remedies can be dangerous or even deadly when mixed with alcohol.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/special-populations-co-occurring-disorders/older-adults

The U.S. Preventive Task Force recommends that all adults be screened for alcohol use and that "risky" drinkers be provided with counseling (USPTF, 2017).

Brief interventions by health care providers following positive screening of older adults have been shown to be useful in reducing alcohol consumption (Schonfeld et al., 2010; Moore, 2011). Older adults with Alcohol Use Disorders respond to treatment with rates comparable to younger adults (Kuerbis & Sacco, 2018). Nurses in all health care settings serving older adults should screen for alcohol use.

Alcohol Use Screening & Assessment for Older Adults, The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing: https://consultgeri.org/try-this/general-assessment/issue-17

Strategy 1: Promote SBIRT training for primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, who provide care to older adults. (SBIRT = Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment).