Alcohol Use Among Older Persons: Findings from a Western New York State General Population Survey

Abstract

This report on the drinking patterns of older persons is based upon a cross-sectional probability sample of 1,041 adults aged 18 years or older living in Erie and Niagara Counties in Western New York State. The rates of drinking, heavy drinking, and alcohol-related problems were considerably lower among persons aged 60 or older than among those aged 50--59 (approaching old age), or among those aged 18--49 (the younger comparison group). Although heavy drinking was almost nonexistent among the elderly women, sizable proportions of the older men (e.g., about a quarter of the men in the 60--69 age group) were heavy drinkers. Previous reports concluding that the stresses of aging, such as widowhood and retirement, are associated with increased problem drinking were not confirmed in this study. More definitive, longitudinal research is needed to develop a better understanding of the relationships between drinking patterns and the aging process.