The headline says it all. This was sad news out of the UK this week with regard to the level of drinking among older adults.
At first this might seem counterintuitive - after all, who drinks more than those who’ve just discovered drinking and are too young to get hungover?
However, it could be something to do with the lack of natural barriers you have when you’re young vs. when you’re older. Perhaps you retire, so you suddenly have excess free time. You don’t have as many obligations at home with young children.
It could also be due to boredom or loneliness, due to having less creative and social stimulation than in the past.
You can read more in the story from the BBC, but here’s what we got from it:
Out of all those who develop alcohol use disorders, one in three have it happen after the age of 50, according to one UK charity.
Although it’s a different experience than growing up with an alcohol-abusing parent from the beginning, it’s still psychologically damaging to adult children to have to help a parent cope.
In general, children of parents who abuse alcohol are more likely to do so themselves.
If you’ve decided to cut back or quit drinking, we’d love to help. We offer tracking, insights, motivational exercises, and a support group to help you stick with it!
