Photo credit Ãran Mór via flickr
There's a group of Americans binge drinking at an unhealthy and alarming level. They over do it at parties and at the bar. They come home after a long day and go way beyond the recommended "glass of wine with dinner." They like to get "all-liquored" up before engaging in sexual activity. What's worse is their easy and unsurprisingly legal access to alcohol exacerbates the problem.
You might think this is just another article berating young people for their unhealthy appetite for alcohol. Not this time, because there's another demographic that's also reportedly hitting the sauce hard: the elderly.
A new study in BMJ Open found that 20 percent those over the age of 65 are binge drinkers. Safe alcohol consumption is defined as 21 units of alcohol per week for men and 14 units of alcohol for women. The researchers, from King's College London, accessed the electronic GP health records for 27,991 people aged 65 and over from a London community. Of those, 9,248 reported consuming alcohol, and of these drinkers 1,980 exceeded the unsafe levels. Furthermore, five percent of male drinkers reported consuming more than 49 units per week--more than twice what's considered safe.
The study has some holes. Specifically, the researchers only examined people from one inner city neighborhood (the subjects were all from Borough of Lambeth). However, the study highlights an important misconception: binge drinking is not the exclusive domain of the young.
Furthermore, it's consistent with U.S. data from the CDC. According to the agency, 70 percent of binge drinking episodes are by those over the age of 26. Of that group, seniors 65 and older binge the most, averaging five to six episodes per month.
While college-age adults have the reputation of partying harder, the health consequences of senior bingers appear to be far greater. The average 65- to 69-year old is on 14 prescriptions, and alcohol can have adverse reactions to a range of medications. It may also exacerbate conditions associated with aging like osteoporosis and high blood pressure.
With these risks in mind, it might be time we start rethinking who fits the category of binge drinker. Popular culture paints a picture of high schools and college campuses as where binge drinking occurs most often. But according to this study and other data coming available, maybe the remake of Animal House should be set in a retirement home and not a frat house.
