https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jgs.16071

Comment; Good article on what elder amerian heavy drinkers are like demographically, race, gender, tobacco, pot use etc. Risky behavior especially for this age group.

Benjamin H. Han MD, MPHAlison A. Moore MD, MPHRosie Ferris MPHJoseph J. Palamar PhD, MPHFirst published: 31 July 2019 https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.16071SECTIONSPDFTOOLSSHARE

Abstract

OBJECTIVES

Binge drinking is a risk factor for a range of harms. This study estimates the national prevalence of binge drinking and adds to our understanding of correlates of binge drinking among older adults in the United States.

DESIGN

Cross‐sectional analysis.

SETTING/PARTICIPANTS

A total of 10 927 adults, aged 65 years or older, from the 2015 to 2017 administrations of the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

MEASUREMENTS

We estimated the prevalence of past‐month binge alcohol use (five or more drinks on the same occasion for men and four or more drinks on the same occasion for women). Characteristics of past‐month binge drinkers, including demographics, substance use, serious mental illness, mental health treatment utilization, chronic disease, and emergency department (ED) use, were compared to participants who reported past‐month alcohol use without binge drinking. Comparisons were made using χ2 tests. We then used multivariable generalized linear models using Poisson and log link to examine the association between covariates and binge drinking among all past‐month alcohol users aged 65 years or older.

RESULTS

Of 10 927 respondents, 10.6% (95% CI = 9.9%‐11.2%) were estimated to be current binge drinkers. Binge drinkers were more likely to be male, have a higher prevalence of current tobacco and/or cannabis use, and have a lower prevalence of two or more chronic diseases compared to nonbinge drinkers. In multivariable analysis, among past‐month alcohol users, the prevalence of binge drinking was higher among non‐Hispanic African Americans than whites (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.16‐1.80), tobacco users (aPR = 1.52; 95% CI = 1.33‐1.74), cannabis users (aPR = 1.41; 95% CI = 1.11‐1.80), and those who visited the ED in the past year (aPR = 1.16; 95% CI = 1.00‐1.33).

CONCLUSION

Over a tenth of older adults in the United States are estimated to be current binge drinkers. Results confirm the importance of screening for binge drinking behaviors among older adults to minimize harms.

Alcohol use is increasing among older adults, with concomitant increases in unhealthy alcohol use.12 From 2001 to 2013, there was a 22.4% increase in past‐year alcohol use, a 65.2% increase in high‐risk drinking, and a 106.7% increase in alcohol use disorder among adults aged 65 years and older.1 Another study among adults aged 50 years and older found a 19.2% relative increase in current binge alcohol use from 2005 to 2014.2

Excessive alcohol use, including binge drinking, is a risk factor for a range of health problems, including injury. This is especially true for older adults due to physiological changes related to aging and increasing comorbidity.34 Binge drinking, even episodically or infrequently, may negatively affect comorbid conditions by exacerbating disease and complicating disease management.5

Despite increases in unhealthy alcohol use among older adults and the potential for harm, much remains to be learned about correlates of binge drinking among adults aged 65 years and older. Previously, Blazer and Wu6 examined characteristics of binge drinking among adults aged 50 years and older using data from the 2005/2006 US National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).7 Herein, we update and expand on these analyses to examine the most current national data on binge drinking to determine the recent prevalence of binge drinking among adults aged 65 years and older and identify sociodemographic and health‐related factors regarding the risk of binge drinking.

Dr. Raymond Oenbrink