Alcohol consumption is on the increase. The elderly are particularly at risk to the effects of alcohol misuse and abuse, for a variety of reasons. Excessive and/or prolonged use of alcohol by the elderly can lead to somatic, psychologic, social, and other serious consequences. Alcohol misuse also can interfere with the successful management of some chronic diseases and heighten the risk of drug interactions and their effects. A profile of the elderly alcohol abuser is presented, as are several diagnostic cluses that should make recognition of the alcohol abuser easier for those who recommend and monitor drug therapy for the elderly.
Problems related to alcohol consumption.World Health Organization Technical Report Serial No. 650, Geneva: World Health Organization1980.
2.
ZimbergS. The elderly alcoholic. Gerontologist1974; 14: 221–4.
3.
PeckDG. Alcohol abuse and the elderly: Social control and conformity. J Drug Issues1979; 9: 63–71.
4.
KellerMPromiselDMSpieglerD, eds. Alcohol and health, 1974. DHEW Publication No. (ADM) 75–212, Rockville, MD: Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, 1975.
5.
WilkinsRH. The hidden alcoholic in general practice. London: Elek Science, 1975.
6.
DouglassRL. Aged alcoholic women in nursing homes. Extension1981; 1: 1–2.
7.
RosinAJGlattMM. Alcohol excess in the elderly. J Stud Alcohol1971; 32: 53–9.
8.
BrodyJA. Aging and alcohol abuse. J Am Geriatr Soc1982; 30: 123–6.
9.
ButlerRNLewisMI. Aging and mental health: positive psychosocial approaches. St. Louis: CV Mosby, 1982.
10.
WattisJ. Alcoholic problems in the elderly. J Am Geriatr Soc1981; 29: 131–2.
11.
GuttmannD. Patterns of legal drug use by older Americans. Addict Dis1978; 3: 337–56.
12.
ChienCPTownsendEJRoss-TownsendA. Substance use and abuse among the community elderly: The medical aspects. Addict Dis1978; 3: 357–72.
13.
JohnsonLA. Use of alcohol by persons 65 years and over, upper east side of Manhattan. Final report submitted to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (Contract # HSM-43-73-38-NIA), January, 1974.
14.
CahalanDCisinIHCrossleyHM. American drinking practices: a national study of drinking behavior and attitudes. Monograph No. 6. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Center for Alcohol Studies, 1969.
15.
CohenS. Drug abuse in the aging patient. Lex et Scientia1975; 11: 217–21.
16.
BollerupT. Prevalence of mental illness among 70 year old domiciles in nine Copenhagen suburbs. Acta Psychiatr Scand1975; 51: 327–39.
17.
The national nursing home survey: 1977.Summary for the United States. Dept HEW Pub No (PHS) 79–1794. Washington, DC: National Center for Health Statistics, 1979.
18.
NielsonJ. Geronto-psychiatric period-prevalence investigation in the geographically delimited population. Acta Psychiatr Scand1962; 38: 307–30.
19.
RedickRKramerMTaubeC. Epidemiology of mental illness and utilization of psychiatric facilities among older persons. In: BusseEPfeifferE, eds. Mental illness in later life. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1973: 199–231.
20.
SchuckitMAMillerPL. A three year follow-up of elderly alcoholics. J Clin Psychiatry1980; 41: 412–6.
21.
LamyPP. Prescribing for the elderly. Littleton, MA: PSG, 1980.
22.
SchuckitMA. Geriatric alcoholism and drug abuse. Gerontologist1977; 17: 168–74.
23.
EdwardsGGrossMMKellerMAlcohol-related disabilities. World Health Organization Publication No. 32. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1977.
24.
CohenS. A review of hypoglycemia and alcoholism with or without liver disease. Ann NY Acad Sci1976; 27: 338–42.
25.
KannelWBGordonT, eds. The Framingham Study: an epidemiological investigation of cardiovascular disease, section 26. Washington DC:U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971.
26.
ChapmanJMMasseyFJCoulsonASayreJ. A study of the relationship between alcohol consumption and heart disease. Final Report to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1974.
27.
UllmanBMLamphiarDELutonJrAlcohol consumption and coronary heart disease. Final Report to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (Contract LHSM 42-73-72-NIA), 1974.
28.
ParkerEXParkerDABrodyJAShoenbergR. Cognitive patterns resembling premature aging in male social drinkers. Alcohol Clin Exp Res1982; 6: 46–52.
AdlerS. Methyldopa-induced decrease in mental activity. 1974; 230: 1428–9.
32.
SchueppelRVA. Toxicological problems of drug combinations. In: BakerSBNeuhausGE, eds. Proceedings of the European Society for the Study of Drug Toxicity, Vol. 13. Amsterdam: Excerpta Medica, 1972: 29–31.
33.
DeykinDJansonPMcMahonL. Ethanol potentiation of aspirin-induced prolongation of the bleeding time. N Engl J Med1982; 306: 852–4.
34.
FDA Drug Bull. Alcohol and drug interactions. 1979; 9: 10–2.
35.
LamyPP. Prescribing for the elderly. Littleton, MA: PSG, 1981: 102–3.
36.
CrooksJStevensonIH. Drug response in the elderly—Sensitivity and pharmacokinetic considerations. Age Ageing1981; 10: 73–80.
37.
CahalanDRoomR. Problem drinking among American men. Monograph No. 7. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Center for Alcohol Studies, 1974: 35–6.
38.
SnyderPWayA. Alcohol and the elderly. Aging1979; 290–291: 8–11.
39.
CurranFJ. Personality studies in alcoholic women. J Nerv Ment Dis1937; 86: 645–67.
40.
RimmerJPittsFNReichTWinokurG. Alcoholism II. Sex, socio-economic status and race in two hospital samples. Q J Stud Alcohol1971; 32: 942–52.
41.
SchuckitMAMorrisseyERO'LearyMR. Alcohol problems in elderly men and women. Addict Dis1978; 3: 405–16.
42.
Van KijkWK. Alcohol-related disabilities: A growing problem. Psychiatry in the 80s1983; 1: 1–3.
43.
BarryHIIIPsychological factors in alcoholism. In: KissinBBegleiterH, eds. The biology of alcoholism, Vol. 3. Clinical pathology. New York: Plenum Press, 1974: 53–107.
