CONTENTS

Table of Contents
Introduction

1. Overview
2. Recognizing Alcohol Misuse and Abuse in Older Adults
3. Alcohol and Aging
4. Diagnosing Alcohol Problems in Older Adults
5. Recognizing Other Forms of Substance Abuse
6. Prevention and Early Intervention Strategies
7. Treatment
8. Outcomes and Cost Issues in Alcohol Treatment for Older Adults
9. Legal and Ethical Issues

Supplements
Resources

At Any Age, It Does Matter:
Substance Abuse and Older Adults (for Professionals)

What Is a Drink?

A standard drink is:

• One 12-ounce bottle of domestic brand popular beer^* or wine cooler
• One 5-ounce glass of unfortified table wine or one 2½-ounce glass of fortified wine^†
• 1½ ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (a large shot)^‡
• One 4-ounce glass of liqueur

*Beer ranges considerably in its alcohol content, with malt liquor being higher in its alcohol content than most other brewed beverages.

^†Wine is typically 6 to 14 percent alcohol. If a wine exceeds 14 percent alcohol, that must be displayed on the label. Wines designated as table wines (7 to 14 percent alcohol) are not required to put alcohol content on their labels. Aperitif and dessert wines contain 14 to 20 percent alcohol. These wines have been fortified to make them stronger.

^‡Hard liquor also varies in alcohol content. The addition of mixers (such as water, soda, and juice) does not lower the alcohol content. It dilutes the drink, which can help lower the concentration of alcohol in the body. However, the amount of alcohol in the drink is the same.

Alcohol Content

Proof is a measurement of the strength of an alcoholic beverage. In the United States, proof is a measure of the amount of absolute alcohol in distilled spirits, and is calculated as the number of parts of alcohol in 200 parts of beverage at 60°F.

Under the American system, one “proof” is equal to one-half percent of alcohol by volume. Thus, a standard drink of 80-proof spirits is 40 percent alcohol by volume.

The dose of alcohol is calculated by multiplying the volume of an alcoholic beverage by the percentage of alcohol. For example, 12 ounces of beer that is 4 percent alcohol would have a dose of 0.48 ounces of alcohol.

All standard drinks have about the same dose of alcohol, equal to about one-half ounce of absolute alcohol. Some typical servings of certain alcoholic beverages contain more or less alcohol than a standard drink.

Examples of Drink Nonequivalence

Dose of Alcoholic Beverage	Amount of Absolute Alcohol	Number of Standard Drinks
40-ounce bottle of 8% malt liquor	3.2 oz.	6.4 drink equivalents
12-ounce bottle of 2.5% low-alcohol beer	0.3 oz.	0.6 drink equivalents
1.25-ounce shot of 151 proof rum	0.94 oz.	1.9 drink equivalents
12.5-ounce bottle of 20% fortified wine cooler	2.5 oz.	5.0 drink equivalents

Drink Sizes

Alcoholic beverages come in a variety of sizes. Common measurements of alcoholic beverages (U.S.) include:

• “Pony shot,” 0.5 jigger; 0.75 fluid ounces
• “Shot,” 0.666 jigger; 1 fluid ounce
• “Large shot,” 1.25 ounces
• “Jigger,” 1.5 shots; 1.5 fluid ounces
• Pint, 16 shots; 0.625 fifths
• Fifth, 25.6 shots; 25.6 ounces; 1.6 pints; 0.8 quarts; 0.76 liters
• Quart, 32 shots; 32 ounces; 1.25 fifths
• Magnum, 2 quarts; 2.5 wine bottles
• Bottle wine, 0.8 quarts; 0.76 liters

More information is available in the Indiana Prevention Resource Center’s FACTLINE on Alcohol Doses, Measurements, and Blood Alcohol Levels.