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Americans Over 60 Are Drinking More Alcohol

  • April 05, 2017

CNN reports that American seniors are drinking more now that they were just a few decades ago. Their report was based on a study in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. There is a large percentage of the population that feels that occasional alcohol consumption can benefit their health. Regardless of the merits of this view, too much alcohol is a recipe for disaster.

That alcohol abuse can take a terrible toll on your health should come as no surprise. Alcohol can impair decision-making abilities and motor skills. It is frequently a factor in vehicular accidents, violent behaviors, unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. 

 Alcohol-related deaths reached a 35-year high in 2014, when more than 30,700 Americans died from such causes as alcohol poisonings and cirrhosis. This amounted to about 9.6 deaths from alcohol-induced causes per 100,000 people in 2014 — a 37 percent increase since 2002. 

These numbers do not include deaths from alcohol-related homicides, drunk driving or other accidents. If those figures were included, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest alcohol-related deaths would be closer to 90,000. 

The impact of alcohol is not limited to acute incidents and disastrous downward spirals. It can have a more subtle and pernicious influence on your well-being as well. Alcohol can alter your brain chemistry and lower the levels of serotonin, a mood-regulating chemical in your brain, increasing your anxiety and stress instead of reducing it. I advise against drinking when you are feeling down or depressed.

Rather than falling into the vicious cycle of alcohol abuse, I recommend addressing your emotional health as soon as possible. Try Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), which is one of the most effective energy psychology tools for me. 
Whether or not moderate alcohol consumption can be safe and even healthy is controversial, with studies showing a mixed bag of results. Some studies have shown that alcohol consumption may be associated with an increased risk of cancer, even at moderate levels of intake.