Different Effects of Alcohol On Older People
March 23, 2008
Drinking alcohol can have different effects on certain groups of people than it does on the average adult. For example, women are affected by alcohol in different ways than men are. Older people also react to drinking in certain ways that younger people usually don’t.
Everyone knows that peoples’ bodies tend to decline in health and function over time. Older people usually have diminished abilities in the areas of seeing and hearing, for instance. There are mental aspects that decline with aging, as well. Older people become less coordinated and have slower reaction times. All of these factors in combination make it more dangerous for an older person or senior citizen to drink alcohol than it is for a young adult. They are more likely to be injured by falling when they have been drinking. Driving is already more difficult for most older people when they haven’t been drinking, and adding any amount of alcohol to that is much more likely to lead to a drunk driving accident.
Health conditions can complicate drinking alcohol for seniors. It can aggravate many diseases and medical problems, making them worse. It’s also more likely for older people to be taking prescription and over-the-counter medications on a daily basis. There are often very harmful consequences when alcohol is mixed with medicines.
Also, seniors feel the effects of alcohol more readily than younger people. It takes a smaller amount of alcohol for them to be tipsy or drunk. As people age, they should monitor this effect when they drink and adjust their alcohol intake accordingly.
This is not to say that seniors should never drink alcohol at all, unless they have a medical condition, take medications that preclude drinking, or are going to drive. However, alcohol consumption should be monitored very carefully and older people with declining senses should never drink alone.
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