By Robert Preidt
HealthDay reporter
THURSDAY, June 10, 2021 (HealthDay News) – During the worst COVID-19 pandemic, alcohol use increased among older Americans and this could endanger their health, researchers behind a new poll claim.
“As we are all toasting the end of the worst part of the pandemic in our country, it is important to address or prevent problem drinking of all kinds,” said one of the pollsters, Anne Fernandez, a University of Michigan psychologist who specializes in alcohol research has specialized use.
More than 2,000 adults, ages 50 to 80, were surveyed in late January when COVID-19 case rates were high nationwide and vaccination of older adults had only just begun.
About 14% of those who drink alcohol said their alcohol consumption increased during the first 10 months of the pandemic.
However, according to the University’s National Healthy Aging Survey, the rate was much higher among the minority who reported drinking as part of their routine to improve their mood or relax, or to cope with boredom, stress, or pain.
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A third to half of these adults said they had drunk more in the past year. Those who said they felt isolated or lonely were also more likely to report increases in alcohol consumption.
Half of the respondents said that they drink mainly for social reasons, and they were more likely to say that their alcohol consumption decreased in 2020. This suggests that as sociability increases as the pandemic eases, their alcohol consumption could increase, according to the survey authors.
Overall, 23% of those who drink alcohol said they routinely had three or more drinks in one session, and 10% said they used other drugs while drinking, including marijuana or prescription drugs that had harmful interactions with alcohol can have.
Routine consumption of three or more alcoholic beverages in a day and occasional binge drinking are considered signs of problem drinking in any adult, the researchers found.
“Even before the pandemic, heavier and riskier drinking habits were increasing faster in older adults than in younger ones,” Fernandez said in a university press release.
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“Not every older adult who has drank more in the past year may have moved from safe to risky alcohol use, but the overall level of alcohol use and the potential for drug interactions are very worrying,” she said.
The body’s ability to process alcohol changes with age, said survey leader Dr. Preeti Malani, an infectious disease physician with Michigan Medicine who is also trained in geriatrics.
The same amount of alcohol that older adults consumed in the past may affect them differently now, creating balance issues that can lead to falls and other injuries. In addition, long-term drinking can accelerate age-related decline in the immune system and memory loss.
“We are especially concerned when older adults drink several drinks at the same time. Therefore, the 20% of older men who reported drinking three to four alcoholic beverages on a typical drinking day are worrying, ”Malani said.
“And 27% of those who drink alcohol said they had six or more drinks at least once in the past year – which is a ‘binge’ level of alcohol consumption that is risky at any age, but even more so when we are getting older, ”added Malani.
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More information
The US National Institute on Aging has more about aging and alcohol.
SOURCE: University of Michigan, news release, June 9, 2021
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