The medical risks of alcohol use in older adults, Part 2

By Anne Ciulla
Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Part 2 of two

Research by the National Institutes for Health has shown that even moderate alcohol use can increase the risk of stroke in seniors. Heavy consumption can also:
* Make common health problems worse, such as liver problems, diabetes, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, impaired memory, depression and osteoporosis;
* Predict cognitive dysfunction, depression and dementia;
* Increase the chance of falls, and the severity of fall-related injuries.

Alcohol consumption at any level raises the risks of incurring an injury caused by others, and causes harmful effects when combined with medication.

THE DANGERS OF MIXING ALCOHOL WITH MEDICATION
Mixing alcohol with medication can expose anyone to the physical effects and harm of an adverse drug reaction. With seniors, 90 percent of whom take multiple medications, the negative effects can be more harmful, for reasons detailed by researchers in the American Journal of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy:
* Older adults are already more susceptible to the sedating effects of alcohol, which in combination with other sedating drugs can cause severe motor and cognitive impairment;
* Combined alcohol-medication use only raises blood alcohol levels, which are already higher for older adults when alcohol alone is present;
* When combined with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or aspirin, alcohol can cause internal bleeding;
* Alcohol use can reduce the effectiveness of certain medications, or be used instead of medical care in an effort to self-medicate;
* Combining alcohol with medication can make older adults more susceptible to overdose, liver or gastrointestinal disease, dizziness and coordination problems, breast cancer, insomnia and gout flare-ups.

HOW ALCOHOL SENSITIVITY AND TOLERANCE CHANGE WITH AGE
Changes in alcohol sensitivity and alcohol tolerance are other catalysts in an older adult’s evolving relationship with alcohol. As people age, the percentage of their body weight that is water decreases, and the percentage of body fat increases. The result is that alcohol intoxication happens more quickly.
The rates of alcohol metabolism and excretion also decrease as an individual grows older, because of a slowdown in activity of ADH, a digestive enzyme in the stomach. Lower ADH activity translates to higher levels of alcohol in the blood.
The overall result is heightened alcohol sensitivity and a lower tolerance level. What was once a moderate amount of alcohol, now can cause intoxication and related health risks.

THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ABUSE AND HOW TO GET HELP
Older Americans who binge drink or routinely over-indulge can suffer effects nothing short of deadly. A mind and body that are already more fragile from normal wear and tear will be quicker to succumb to these damaging effects–especially when an addiction goes untreated.
Alcohol abuse is harder to detect in seniors, precisely because many of the same symptoms can also be attributed to aging, including:
* A loss of coordination
* Cognitive impairment or confusion
* Memory problems
* Depression or changes in mood
Those who want to seek treatment should contact a trusted doctor or the National Helpline, a free 24/7 service of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, for a treatment referral: 1-800-662-HELP.