Older adults who are socially active, have friends who approve of drinking and have more money are more likely to be heavy drinkers in their senior years. At the same time, heavy drinking may influence whether older adults are engaged in more social activities and who they choose as their friends.
A 20-year study of 719 adults as found the social factors both predict and sustain heavy drinking among older adults.
A study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Palo Alto, California examined the link between heavy drinking in older adults and their social and financial resources.
Social Factors and Drinking
The study found that adults are more likely to engage in high-risk drinking if:
?Have more financial resources.
?Engage in more social activities.
?Have friends who approve of drinking.
For the sake of the study, heavy drinking was defined as more than three drinks per day or more than 14 drinks per week, otherwise known as high risk drinking.
Choosing Friends Who Drink
"Our findings show that, one, certain social factors may enhance the chances of an individual engaging in high-risk drinking and, two, once high-risk drinking has developed, social choices may be made to facilitate continuing this behavior," said lead author Rudolf H. Moos in a news release.
But the research also found that older adults who engage in high-risk drinking tend to choose friends who are more likely to drink and approve of drinking.
The study also found that men may be more susceptible to social factors than women, when it comes to heavy drinking. Having more money and friends who drink were more closely linked to men than women who were older heavy drinkers.
Problem Does Not Go Away
Another finding of the research was that alcohol problems do not go away as people grow older. When the researchers completed their 20-year study the people in the group were 75 to 85 years old and 20% of them still engaged in high-risk alcohol consumption.
If you are an older adults and are concerned about your level of drinking, avoiding certain social activities and your friends who drink, may help you in trying to cut down or moderate your drinking.
If you try to cut down on your drinking and find that you cannot do so, you may need to quit altogether. If so, there are many resources available to help you quit and maintain abstinence.
Source: Moos, R.H. et al. "Social and Financial Resources and High-Risk Alcohol Consumption Among Older Adults." Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 26 Jan 2010
A 20-year study of 719 adults as found the social factors both predict and sustain heavy drinking among older adults.
A study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Palo Alto, California examined the link between heavy drinking in older adults and their social and financial resources.
Social Factors and Drinking
The study found that adults are more likely to engage in high-risk drinking if:
?Have more financial resources.
?Engage in more social activities.
?Have friends who approve of drinking.
For the sake of the study, heavy drinking was defined as more than three drinks per day or more than 14 drinks per week, otherwise known as high risk drinking.
Choosing Friends Who Drink
"Our findings show that, one, certain social factors may enhance the chances of an individual engaging in high-risk drinking and, two, once high-risk drinking has developed, social choices may be made to facilitate continuing this behavior," said lead author Rudolf H. Moos in a news release.
But the research also found that older adults who engage in high-risk drinking tend to choose friends who are more likely to drink and approve of drinking.
The study also found that men may be more susceptible to social factors than women, when it comes to heavy drinking. Having more money and friends who drink were more closely linked to men than women who were older heavy drinkers.
Problem Does Not Go Away
Another finding of the research was that alcohol problems do not go away as people grow older. When the researchers completed their 20-year study the people in the group were 75 to 85 years old and 20% of them still engaged in high-risk alcohol consumption.
If you are an older adults and are concerned about your level of drinking, avoiding certain social activities and your friends who drink, may help you in trying to cut down or moderate your drinking.
If you try to cut down on your drinking and find that you cannot do so, you may need to quit altogether. If so, there are many resources available to help you quit and maintain abstinence.
Source: Moos, R.H. et al. "Social and Financial Resources and High-Risk Alcohol Consumption Among Older Adults." Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 26 Jan 2010
Comment