Club50! - for the over 50's
Alcohol Abuse
Over the last few years there has been a lot in the news about the UK's drinking problem. From the news clips shown of teenagers and twenty-somethings reeling out of pubs and clubs and brawling in the streets you could be forgiven for thinking that it was a problem of the young but this is not so. Recent research shows that the majority of (binge) drinking takes place in the home and the majority of drinkers are forty, fifty and sixty-somethings.
Now, one of the main problems we over fifties have is that it is a physiological fact that as we age our body's water content decreases, which means when we drink alcohol there is a higher concentration of it in our blood – so we get drunk quicker! We all age at different rates, so as we get older we need to regularly assess how drinking is affecting us.
The UK has had a drink-culture for hundreds of years. Alcohol is relatively cheap and we drink when we are happy, we drink when we are sad; we drink when we are lonely and we drink when we are in a crowd, we drink to celebrate and to commiserate, we drink at births and at deaths – and so it goes on.
The good news is that a couple of units of alcohol a day can contribute to our quality of life and may help reduce cholesterol and the subsequent development of coronary heart disease in men over 40 and in post menopausal women; having said that, as we all know, alcohol can also have a significant negative impact on the health and quality of life.
We at Club50! have to admit we do like a few drinks but readily agree that moderation has to be our watchword. Here are a couple of sobering facts:
- Over 55's in Britain are more likely than their European counterparts to be regular drinkers and Britain is the only country in Europe to have a statistically significant number of over 55's drinking more than 6 units per day.
- The number of men over 65 exceeding 21 units per week increased by 31% between 1988 and 2000 (from 13% to 17%); the number of women over 65 drinking more than 14 units per week rose by 75% in the same period (from 4% to 7%).
Alcohol abuse can show itself in various non-specific ways – accidents, depression, insomnia, confused states and self-neglect, it also increases the likelihood of memory loss and dementia – many of which are linked to the aging process. If you suffer from any of these be truthful with yourself don't just put it down to "getting old". The good news is we can change our drinking habits quicker than the ageing process!
Getting help
If you are concerned about your own drinking, or someone else's, don't delay get help immediately. The agencies listed below can provide confidential advice for your particular situation:
- Adfam
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
- Alcohol Concern
- Drinkaware
- Drinkline (National Alcohol Helpline): 0800 917 8282
- NHS Choices
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