Many adults across the country enjoy alcoholic beverages in moderation. But as you age, your body goes through changes that affect how you metabolize alcohol, how you experience its effects, and the risk it poses to your overall health. According to studies, 3 in 10 drink at levels that put them at risk for alcoholism, liver diseases, and other health issues caused by alcohol, and nearly 20% of this group are adults aged 60 and older. How do you think about your drinking? Do your habits place you at low or increased risk for problems? Find out below.

How Alcohol Affects the Aging Body

Analyzing how alcohol affects people, doctors use several factors including age, gender, and size. Many people are surprised to learn that what counts as “one drink” varies from person to person and from drink to drink. Each of the drinks below counts as a single drink:

• 12 fl oz. of regular beer
• 8-9 fl oz. of malt liquor
• 5 fl oz. of wine (a standard bottle of wine contains 5 standard drinks)
• 1.5 fl oz. of 80-proof spirits such as vodka, whiskey, gin, rum, or tequila (a fifth of liquor contains 17 standard drinks)

The general rule of thumb is, the more muscle mass a person has, the more likely they are to feel stronger effects from alcohol. This is because your body stores much of its water content in your muscles, and the effects of alcohol are slowed and dispersed by the water in your body. As you age, your body begins to naturally lose muscle mass. When you lose muscle mass, you lose the same water content that slows and minimizes the effects of alcohol. This means older adults are more likely to feel the effects of alcohol stronger than younger adults. This can lead to dizziness, confusion, and loss of coordination, which in turn leads to a higher risk of falls, accidents, fractures, and car crashes. Alcohol is a factor in about 60% of fatal burn injuries, drownings, and murders; 50% of severe trauma injuries and sexual assaults; and 40% of fatal crashes and falls.

Increased Health Risks and Sensitivity

Even drinking within the limits of your body, adults 65 and older who drink are at a much higher risk of health problems associated with alcohol. As you get older, your heart, liver, and brain functions begin to slow and become less efficient. These three internal organs affect how you process alcohol and can be seriously damaged by overuse. Older adults who drink are more at risk for:

• Heart disease
• Liver disease
• Stroke
• Digestive problems
• Certain types of cancer
• Cognitive decline

Additionally, older adults who have or have experienced conditions such as osteoporosis, diabetes, memory loss, ulcers, or mood disorders may find their condition worsened by excess alcohol consumption. People who have blood disorders such as high blood pressure or heart conditions or are prone to them may have a harder time getting them diagnosed and treated due to changes in the heart and blood vessels. This could not only increase your risk of stroke or heart attack but heighten the chances that the typical pain and symptoms that could alert you to your condition might be dulled or not felt at all.

Many people are shocked to find out that prescription medicine can affect the effects of alcohol, and vice versa. Medications can have harmful interactions with alcohol, exacerbating side effects or reducing the effectiveness of the medication. Many of these prescriptions are given to people over the age of 65, and they may not know the effects alcohol has on them. These medicines include:

• Antihistamines and allergy medications
• Prescription painkillers or benzodiazepines
• Diabetes medication
• Arthritis medication
• Blood pressure medication
• Anticoagulants
• Anticonvulsants
• Sleep medications and other hypnotics
• Psychiatric medications such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, or anti-anxiety medication

If you take any of these medications, consult your primary care doctor or specialist before consuming alcohol.

Understanding Your Risk Factor and Knowing When to Get Help

Whether or not you may be predisposed to any of the conditions listed above is based on your risk factor, which is calculated by the number of drinks you consume in a day or week. To understand your risk factor, you have to calculate whether you’re low risk or high risk. “Low-risk” doesn’t mean “no risk.” Even if you stay within the daily and weekly limits, you can still have problems if you drink too fast, have a health problem, or are over age 65.

• Low risk for men is no more than 4 drinks in a day, or 14 drinks a week
• Low risk for women is no more than 3 drinks a day or 7 drinks a week
• Increased risk for men is more than 4 drinks a day and more than 15 drinks in a week
• Increased risk for women is more than 3 drinks a day and more than 7 drinks a week

Anyone in the “increased risk” category may be at an increased risk for alcohol dependency. In older adults, these conditions may be harder to spot as conditions such as memory loss or balance problems are often associated with age rather than addiction. Social and emotional withdrawal and loneliness or depressive disorders also put older adults at a high risk for alcohol dependence. Symptoms of alcohol dependency include:

• Increased tolerance to alcohol
• Inability to limit the amount of alcohol you intake
• Cognitive decline or brain fog
• Neglect of responsibilities, personal hygiene, and social relationships
• Participating in risky drinking behaviors such as drinking and driving
• Strong, unavoidable cravings for alcohol
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms such as sweating, shaking, nausea, or vomiting when you don’t consume alcohol
• Unsuccessful attempts to cut down your drinking in your past

If you or a loved one has any of the signs and symptoms listed above, talk to your doctor about getting help for your dependency. For help on identifying and treating addiction or dependency, start here.