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

Module 2: Recognizing Alcohol Misuse and Abuse in Older Adults - Page 4 of 16

Alcohol Use Guidelines for Older Adults

Any recommendations regarding alcohol use should be tailored to the individual patient’s risks and potential benefits. The physician or health care professional and the patient should periodically review the risks and benefits of alcohol consumption. Recommendations should be revised if excess consumption, problem drinking, or harmful consequences occur.

Older adults pose special concerns when developing alcohol consumption guidelines. Compared with younger people, older adults have an increased sensitivity to alcohol and medications (see Module 3).

Of particular concern among older adults are potential drug-alcohol interactions.

Of particular concern among older adults is the potential interaction of medication and alcohol. Because of these concerns, alcohol use recommendations for older adults are generally lower than those for adults under 65.

The guidelines below are based on recommendations for older adults suggested by Dufour and Fuller1 and The Physicians’ Guide to Helping Patients With Alcohol Problems. Similar guidelines can be found in the AHA Medical/Scientific Statement on Alcohol and Heart Disease.2

Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans also discusses alcohol consumption. For additional guidelines, see “Suggested Alcohol Use Guidelines” and “Moderate Drinking.”

  1. Consume no more than one standard drink per day (seven standard drinks per week). Consume no more than two standard drinks on any drinking day.
  2. Avoid alcohol consumption immediately before going to bed in order to avoid sleep disturbances.
  3. Avoid alcohol ingestion before driving.
  4. Avoid alcohol if you are taking central nervous system depressants, psychiatric medications, analgesics, anticoagulants, antidiabetic drugs, or cardiovascular drugs. More information on alcohol-drug interactions is available at Intelihealth.
  5. Consult a doctor or pharmacist about alcohol-drug interactions.
  6. Immediately report any side effects or loss of energy to a health care provider.
  7. Consult a physician or health care professional for an assessment of the benefits and risks of alcohol consumption. Persons with a personal history of any of the following should not consume alcohol:
    • Alcoholism
    • Elevated triglycerides
    • Pancreatitis
    • Liver disease
    • Certain blood disorders
    • Heart failure
    • Uncontrolled hypertension
    • Certain chronic diseases such as diabetes and congestive heart failure
    • Stroke
  8. When in doubt, don’t drink alcohol. Consult a physician or health care professional.
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