Alcohol and aging … what you can do to prevent this dangerous combination having a damaging effect.

From the way it damages your health, inside and out, to the social impact it has – alcohol and aging is a bad combination!

As we age, most of us seem to naturally cut back on the amount of alcohol we consume. We simply can’t drink as much as we could and it doesn’t have the same attraction.

Let’s start with the three major reasons for not drinking as much as we did …

1. Our physical ability to drink …

to excess is severely curtailed … we just can’t do it anymore. One glass is probably our maximum. If we’re being truthful with ourselves, we will also admit that a drunken old woman is not a pretty sight. In fact, no drunken woman is attractive … young, old or indifferent.

As we age, the effects of excess alcohol are worse in women than men. Certainly women tend to be more harshly judged when it comes to excessive inebriation.

2. It ages us

No matter how much sleep you get, or how much food you eat to prevent being drunk, or any of the preventative measures you try (including drinking gallons of water), excessive drinking ages you; physically, mentally and emotionally.

Alcohol has a dreadful drying effect on the skin, add in the usual sagging that comes with age and you get a pretty unpleasant combination.

Excess alcohol can also worsen conditions like osteoporosis and diabetes.

3. It can cause liver disease

It increases the risk of falls leading to fractured hips and can even cause some older people to appear forgetful and confused, leading to an incorrect diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.

You will never get a good nights sleep if you drink too much, because alcohol is a stimulant, NOT a sedative.

The three major ways you can help yourself to not drink as much as you may like!

1. Limit your intake to one glass

Drink less, drink light. And why not decide on a financial budget … and stick to it!

2. Take up something new

Go to a gym, have a walk every day, meet friends for coffee, have get togethers to play cards, do crafts or just chat, write a journal. In fact, writing about your changing alcohol habits is cathartic and can be confidence building!

Don’t let depression and loneliness defeat you …

3. Never ever drink alone …

you will drink more than you intend; probably become morose and weepy and generally increase your likelihood of depression. If you’re not depressed now, drinking to excess will make you depressed.

It is a fact that older women (60 ++) are less likely to be financially independent, have longer life expectancies and live alone for longer.

If you think you have a problem or if you think someone you know has a problem, please do something about it.

Start with your own doctor and take it from there …