News Focus
8 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| February 2016
LAST MONTH THE GOVERNMENT
REVISED ITS SENSIBLE DRINKING
GUIDELINES
for the first time in 20 years,
bringing the recommended weekly levels for
men down to match those for women – at 14
units
(see news story, page 4)
. One reason for
the revised limits, says the government, is that
the links between alcohol and cancer were
‘not fully understood’ when they were first
issued in 1995.
Now a new report from the Drink Wise,
Age Well programme, whose partners include
the International Longevity Centre (ILC-UK)
and treatment charity Addaction, highlights
the fact that it may well be the over-50s who
are most risking their health through their
drinking habits.
Drink wise, age well: alcohol
use and the over 50s
in the UK is the largest
ever study of its kind, surveying nearly 17,000
people from across the country. It found a
population whose problem drinking may well
be ‘hidden in plain sight’.
Not only were age-related issues such as
bereavement, retirement, loneliness, money
worries and loss of a sense of purpose leading
people to drink more in many cases, those
people were also far less likely to seek help.
Nearly 80 per cent of those identified as
higher-risk drinkers drank ‘to take their mind
of their problems’, says the report, with ‘not
coping with stress’ the strongest predictor for
being a higher-risk drinker.
A quarter of respondents had no idea
where to look for support – and said they
wouldn’t ask for help even if they did know –
while more than 80 per cent of those
identified as being at increased risk from their
drinking had never been asked about it by a
professional. More than half of over-65s also
thought people ‘had themselves to blame’ for
any alcohol problems.
Although most survey respondents were
found to be lower risk
drinkers, a ‘significant
minority’ were not,
says the document,
and it’s a problem
that’s likely to get
worse. More than a
third of the UK
population is over 50,
and by 2040 nearly
one in four will be 65
or above, shoring up
major problems if the
‘drinking patterns of
older adults do not
change’. Between 1991
and 2010, alcohol-
related deaths among
the 55-74 age group in
England increased by
87 per cent for men
and 53 per cent for
women, meaning there is a ‘pressing need’ for
action to reduce alcohol-related harm.
As the report points out, the image that
harmful alcohol use tends to conjure up is one
of young people binge drinking. Is the issue of
older drinkers still largely a hidden one? ‘Very
much so,’ head of the Drink Wise, Age Well
programme, Julie Breslin, tells
DDN
. ‘Quite
often drinking in later life takes place behind
closed doors, and therefore is not as visible as
young people’s drinking in a town or city
centre of a Saturday night. Also our report
shows a high level of stigma for older drinkers,
so it’s quite possible that if there is an issue
they won’t tell anyone.’
The report highlights the lack of a coherent
plan to address alcohol-related harm in older
drinkers, so what could be done at
government level – should there be a national
strategy? ‘From a starting point we’d like to
see more consistent UK-wide collection of
data on alcohol use and older adults,’ she says.
‘For example, PHE have only recently started
collecting alcohol statistics on adults aged 75
and over, and in order to compare and assess
the scale of the problem we’d like to see some
consistency in the information gathered
across the four nations. Secondly, we’d like to
GENERATION DRINK
A major new report sheds light on the alcohol habits of the over-50s.
Are they risking drinking themselves into an early grave?
‘For many
people even
the concept
of “units” is
difficult to
grasp and we
may need to
work together
to find better ways to
communicate the message.’
JULIE BRESLIN
‘One of the major
issues identified
by the report is a
widespread
confusion and lack
of awareness
around units and
guidelines.’
Posters available
fromAlcohol
Education Trust
