As the Baby Boom generation us retiring, the US is seeing an uptick in injuries, illness, and deaths related to alcohol in people over age 65. A lot of that uptick is due to the fact that Boomers always drank more than their parents, in addition to using drugs. And the cohort is still huge. But there are extra dangers in drinking as an elderly person that you might not realize.
The amount of alcohol required to become intoxicated is lower for older people, because their metabolisms are slowing down, and people over 65 retain less water in their bodies than they did when they were younger. Many common prescription medicines taken by older people can magnify the effects of drinking. And even at the same levels of intoxication, older people are more likely to fall down, with greater consequences because their bones are more brittle. Alcohol use is likely to depress one's immune system response as well.
Retired people have more time on their hands, but that time shouldn't be filled with alcohol. The healthiest option would be to decrease the amount of alcohol consumed instead. Read more about the effects of aging on alcohol tolerance at CNN. -via Fark
(Image credit: Matti Blume)
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