In Part 1 of my 2 part series, I presented twelve major physical risks of excessive alcohol intake to the senior body.
The March 2017 publication of “Lifestyles After 50” states that some seniors may have been drinking for many years earlier and already are physically and mentally dependent on alcohol. Then there are others of us who because of retirement, disability, pain, insomnia, or the loss of a spouse fall victim to what is known as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).
According to the Lifestyles’ Bryce Dixon, “AUD is a disease in which people have a strong need to drink, cannot control their drinking once they start, and over time need to drink greater and greater amounts of alcohol to get ‘high.’ The withdrawal symptoms are so bad that the side effects often lead the drinker to start drinking again to feel better. This leads to more physical and psychological problems making a cycle difficult to break.”
How does one know if they or someone else in their network of family or acquaintances is affected by Alcohol Use Disorder? At any age, clues may include the presence of depression, anxiety, memory loss, unexplained bruises, poor appetite, falls, sleeping problems, and inattention to personal appearance. The National Health Institute for Senior Health/National Institute of Health (NIH) asks five questions that might reveal a need to consult medical personnel for further guidance.
The NIH five questions follow:
1. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your alcohol intake?
2. Have people criticized your drinking habit?
3. Have you ever felt guilty about your drinking?
4. Have you ever had a drink early in the morning to steady your nerves or get over a hangover?
5. Have you continued to drink despite negative consequences?
For moderate acceptable consumption, the guideline for women of all ages and men older than 65 years of age is one drink daily. A 65-year-old or younger man is allowed up to two drinks daily.
***It must be remembered that individuals of all ages react differently to alcohol depending on their general health and medicine intake. Excessive drinking includes more than three drinks daily or more than seven drinks weekly, for all women and men over 65. For men under 65, four drinks daily or more than fourteen drinks weekly is considered excessive.
Should addicts try to quit all at once? Dixon explains “When they (alcoholics) stop drinking, they can get nauseated, sweaty, shaky, and restless.”
Dr. Indra Cidambi, a psychiatrist and medical director for New Jersey’s Center for Network Therapy, agrees.
“(For addicts) cold turkey is very dangerous. Go to the primary care doctor (and other organizations such as Alcoholic Anonymous/Al Anon for further support). Be honest about how many drinks a day you’ve been drinking.”
Dr. Cidambi also emphasizes the fact that “One drink is one drink. People will say ‘I no longer want to drink hard liquor; I’ll only do red wine or white wine.’ The truth of the matter is that alcoholic drinks may come in many forms!”
