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Article: Are we ignoring Britains older drinker problem

An excessive media focus on young people’s drinking in town and city centres – so called “binge Britain” – is leading us to overlook alcohol consumption by older people, and the necessity for an appropriately tailored alcohol program. Although drinking tends to decline with age, this overall pattern may conceal serious alcohol-related problems amongst some older people. In addition, many younger adults are now adopting habits of heavy drinking that may carry on into later life. Add to this factors related to ageing that can prompt increased alcohol use – such as disruption to lifestyle following retirement, bereavement, and increased social isolation – and we have what some experts have referred to as a “silent epidemic” of older people’s drinking.

A number of reasons have been suggested why this serious issue has received relatively little public attention. One reason is the preoccupation of the media with young people’s drinking in pubs and on the streets. In contrast, older people may often be solitary home drinkers, and may be discrete in their alcohol use. Alcohol Concern’s consultation with alcohol programs and older people’s treatment services highlighted reasons why older people’s drinking may be overlooked:

• Lack of awareness amongst healthcare professionals, who may regard problems such as falls or confusion as normal signs of the ageing process, and fail to identify alcohol misuse as a possible factor.
• Poor liaison between the NHS and local alcohol services.
• Ageist attitudes amongst some service providers, with excessive drinking not see as a problem beyond a certain age.
• Similar attitudes amongst family members of older drinkers, and the wider society, supporting alcohol misuse as a pleasure and comfort to those felt to have little else in their lives.

Alcohol Concern also highlighted some of the reasons older people themselves may not wish to, or feel able to access alcohol treatment services:

• Shame and stigma attached to admitting an alcohol problem.
• Negative images of substance misuse services, and a perception that they cater mostly for younger clients and users of illegal drugs. Linked to this is a lack of older staff in some alcohol services.
• Contradictory information about the benefits and harms of alcohol use, with persistent suggestions in the media that small amounts of alcohol promote good health.
• Alcohol can be a positive pain management choice that people may be reluctant to give up.

In spite of this, research has shown that older clients respond to help with alcohol problems as well as or even better than younger clients, and Alcohol Concern has made the following recommendations to help make sure older people get the support they need:

• Professionals working with older people need to be aware of alcohol misuse as a potential issue amongst older people, and to recognise that problems traditionally attributed to the ageing process may be indicators of alcohol misuse.
• Better co-ordination and joint working are needed between older people’s services and alcohol treatment services.

References

Alcohol Concern: Hidden Harm? Alcohol and older people.

DryOutNow.com provides highly practical help for people with alcohol problems, their friends and relatives. DryOutNow.com also provides free resources for healthcare professionals such as medical information and alcohol treatment guidelines.

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