A person’s vulnerability to alcohol use and abuse has always been reliant on social factors. The opposite has also been found to be true as those who engage in excessive drinking may alter their social context.
According to a release in Science Daily, drinking among older adults is impacted by more money, more social activities and the approval of friends. These individuals not only drink more, they also engage in excessive or high-risk drinking.
"Ours is one of the first studies to focus longitudinally on high-risk drinking among older adults and the first to have 10-year and 20-year follow-ups addressing this issue." said Rudolf H. Moos, senior research career scientist for the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Palo Alto, California. Moos is also corresponding author for the study.
Moos, along with his colleagues, examined 719 55 to 65-year olds at the baseline between 1986 and 1988 and then again 10 and 20 years later. At each contact point the participants offered information about their drinking and their social and financial resources.
The results of this study show that older adults with more money, who engage in more social activities and whose friends approve of their drinking are more likely to engage in high-risk drinking – which is considered to be more than three drinks per day or more than 14 drinks per week.
"Older adults who engage in high-risk alcohol consumption tend to select friends who are more likely to drink and to approve of drinking," said Moos. "They may also experience a decline in the quality of relationships with extended family members, that is, high-risk drinking may impair some family relationships.”
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