Hidden Issue: Alcohol Abuse in the Elderly

Elderly members of society are most often viewed in two ways, those flourishing with kind attributes and others whom have aged with bitterness, odds are, we know both kind. As a generation ages, we have an obligation to care for the seniors that have laid the groundwork for our lives. Sadly, there is one issue that is overshadowed by other aging diseases, a disease normally correlated to younger individuals, alcoholism.

An excessive use of alcohol at any age is detrimental but in the elderly, it's exceedingly so. It has become increasingly more common for seniors to turn to alcohol during bereavement, seeking its numbing effects. In a world where family is sparce and close friends are continually lost, who can blame them?  Due to these rising concerns, a study involving seventy-three senior citizens diagnosed with alcohol dependency, seventeen female and and fifty-six male, was conducted. Researchers compared their drinking habits and history with those of a younger generation as well as the average population. 

The results showed that an increase of age brought on an increase of alcoholism. While 6.9% of elderly alcoholics received clinical care for their addiction, younger alcoholics averaged 30%, despite the higher rate of the disease. It's believed this is due to the multiple symptoms of other age-related diseases, like dementia, masking the alcoholic symptoms, causing fewer diagnoses.

What can be done? As previously mentioned, we carry a responsibility to care for seniors in their golden years, this includes a heightened physician awareness as well as familial awareness. Take it upon yourselves to care for those in your family at risk, if that can be done, sufferers will not be lost in the shuffle that is old age.

Shahpesandy, H., Pristasova, J., Janikova, Z., Mojzisova, R., Kasanicka, V., & Supalova, O. (2006). Alcoholism in the elderly: a study of elderly alcoholics compared with healthy elderly and young alcoholics. Neuroendocrinology Letters, 27(5), 651-658.

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