Why are older Americans drinking so much

[Ronstar]

I will have a beer or 2 while dining out. And almost always local microbrews. Sometimes I may go a month without a beer. Sometimes I may have a couple beers a night for 3 or 4 days in a row. Depends what's on the beer menu at the restaurants.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Calico, I really believe that there’s a strong genetic component to alcoholism since it tends to run in families even if the behavior isn’t modeled for children. I rarely drank when young because I had 3 young children. By 31 I completely quit drinking.

Fast forward to my kids were adults, I divorced their dad and moved across the country for a new job. I met husband number three who convinced me it was fine to drink and I was able to moderate for a long time. Gradually it increased to unhealthy habits. It’s one reason I didn’t leave when he cheated the first time because I numbed myself with wine.

4 years ago I decided I shouldn’t drink at all and 4 months later when I realized he was cheating again I immediately divorced him. I credit a completely clear mind for the strength to make the best choice for me. There were many alcoholics on my dad’s side of the family but I never met any of them because they were dead. My 3 kids have it on both sides of the family and all three totally quit also.

I’m also surprised at the number of people that have asked me why I’m not drinking at a dinner or social gathering. I would never ask someone such a personal question. I always answer that it doesn’t agree with my medication. I really would like to say it’s none of your business.

Many of my friends no longer drink being concerned about their health. I can see why people use alcohol due to being lonely or bored. Luckily I have my kids, lots of friends, dogs, consulting and volunteering.

 

[Nords]

I’m also surprised at the number of people that have asked me why I’m not drinking at a dinner or social gathering. I would never ask someone such a personal question. I always answer that it doesn’t agree with my medication. I really would like to say it’s none of your business.

"My drinking days are behind me. Can I get a cup of coffee?"
And, if pressed,
"I've already drunk my lifetime quota of alcohol, and most of your quota too. Can I have a glass of water?"

At the time when my father's Alzheimer's/alcohol crisis convinced me to stop drinking, my daughter was in her freshman year of college. For her first few years she was a little embarrassed on my behalf: "Dad, is it all right if I mention to the host that you're not drinking?"

By the time she graduated from college she'd seen enough examples of excessive drinking, and she was actually bragging on my abstinence.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Nords, your answer to why you don’t drink gave me a good laugh). I think people are uncomfortable if someone isn’t drinking because they maybe internally worried about their own drinking or they may feel judged.

Alcohol is the only substance that gets that reaction from people. If someone said that they don’t drink coffee for example no one inquires why or starts giving them the third degree. That’s great that your daughter is proud of you.

One of my sons told me that he decided to quit a few years after me because it showed him that it could be done on the first attempt. It was much more difficult for his 2 brothers but they were also successful.

 

[Andre1969]

When I was in my 30s/40s, I had a housemate who was a serious alcoholic. I would usually be the one to do the beer runs, and my housemates would give me some money for it. I think I tended to buy Bud Ice or something like that. I'd get four cases (30-packs) a week, and that sucker would put away half of that! He would out-drink both me and my other roommate combined. And he was only like 120 pounds, soaking wet, whereas the other housemate and me are more like 190-200. I have no idea where he used to put it!

But, considering that's still a 30-pack for me and a 30-pack for my other housemate, which comes out to 4 beers a day and a little extra on the weekends, that wasn't exactly good for us, either!

I finally got fed up and kicked the alcoholic out. And suddenly noticed my alcohol consumption was going down. I notice that when other people drink, I'm more likely to do it, myself, so I can definitely see the social aspect/subconscious peer pressure of it.

My other housemate, the one who stuck around, eventually cut back to where he only drinks on his days off. Once I started working from home in 2020, I noticed I did start drinking more, as it was easy to just go downstairs, raid the fridge, crack one open, and then do a DWW (Drunk While Working!) Although I wouldn't do it to the point that I got drunk!

Eventually that tapered off again. These days, I probably average one beer a day. Every once in awhile I might do two, but then there are days I don't do any at all. I might do a shot of something from time to time, but that's not a common occurrence.

As for my former roommate who was the alcoholic, I do keep in touch with him from time to time. Turns out he hit rock bottom soon after moving out from my place, and then got himself off the stuff completely.

 

[becca]

As I have got older I realized alcohol was seriously messing with my sleep. I have cut way, way back and only drink (maybe 1 glass of wine) at social occasions...which equates to maybe 2 glasses of wine a month.

 

[Midpack]

My alcohol consumption hasn’t changed with retirement so far, 13 years in. Some of my golf buddies drink more than I’d like, so I set a limit for myself of no more than 7 drinks/week and no more than 2 drinks/day (I think I got that rule from a recent Attia’s book). If it wasn’t for golf, I probably wouldn’t have more than 3-4 drinks/week. Fortunately I don’t care for beer, and decent wine/liquor is kinda expensive which slows me down as well - life’s too short to drink bargain stuff. Alcohol in restaurants has become so expensive we don’t usually order it anymore (except 1 margarita is required for Mexican food ). DW probably has 3-4 drinks/week.

 

[DuluthGA]

Growing up southern baptist in the 60-70’s alcohol was one of the big sins so naturally I started drinking at 17. Scotch whiskey was my go to. After college I got married to a total non-drinker so I basically stopped. When traveling for megacorp I’d socially drink but never at home. Now that I’m retired I enjoy spirits, wine and beer. Being afraid of addiction I don’t allow drinking in our house and being a tightwad I can’t bring myself to pay for it in a restaurant. That results in me drinking maybe once a month with friends when they have may favorite kind - free.

 

[pb4uski]

Most of my drinking is socially. For example, when we got back to Florida we went downstairs and visited with a friend for an hour or so and I had a couple beers. That said, I occasionally have a drink at home.

 

[mystang52]

I was never much of a drinker, and I can get buzzed on as little as one strong drink. I used to drink once a week on Saturday night, occasionally a Sunday afternoon drink while watching football. I would have a daily drink when on vacation. That didn't change in retirement until the last few years, and i now drink less, maybe one every 2 weeks.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

DW and I split a bottle of Red wine every other day or so. Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are Wine Nights.

 

[Gumby]

Because we want to. Any other questions?

 

[athena53]

I’m also surprised at the number of people that have asked me why I’m not drinking at a dinner or social gathering. I would never ask someone such a personal question. I always answer that it doesn’t agree with my medication. I really would like to say it’s none of your business.

I can't imagine asking anyone that- it's like asking someone why they don't have kids- many reasons, some of them very personal. DS and DDIL are teetotallers although DS may ask to sample a sip of wine if I'm having a glass in a restaurant. He also cooks with it. Alcoholism killed my Ex, his father. DDIL just doesn't like the taste.

 

[braumeister]

After my father retired he started drinking a lot, and would go through close to a bottle of Scotch a day. That went on for a number of years. Then one day he suddenly decided that it was a bad idea and stopped cold turkey. Never touched it again.

That was exactly what he did with his smoking when he was around 40 years old.

I think he was pretty unusual in that ability to suddenly stop something completely.

 

[DrRoy]

Went from once a weekend to about 2X per week. Usually pinot noir.

 

[folivier]

As a teenager I drank to excess many times, got lucky and never had a wreck while drinking. Had a good friend in high school who went to rehab for his drinking. Kinda woke me up a bit. Kept drinking heavily in college but after we had kids gave it up except for an occasional drink. Maybe one or 2 drinks/week now. Have an alcoholic son who is blaming all of his problems on me and hasn't spoken to us since last year. Sad but he has to overcome his problems.

 

[MarieIG]

from the NYT
. . . Has your consumption incre... get around and I wasn't bringing him drinks.

 

[Amethyst]

I think the article makes broad generalizations, backed up by a few specific examples, including the heartrending story of Nords's dad (which I remember from when Nords told the story here). I think heavy drinking has always been part of American society. Certainly my Dad, who was old enough to be my grandfather, had lots of stories about flouting Prohibition. He always blamed his GERD on having drunk "bathtub gin," although I barely touch alcohol and I have GERD too.

I live in a Florida resort town, where lots of drinking goes on, young, middle-aged and old. Some restaurants get extremely noisy by 5:30 p.m. because of the older ladies who are already tipsy. It's like a soundtrack from a daycare center. I only hope they have designated drivers.

OTOH, I tend to hang with health-conscious people, my age and older, who drink moderately if at all. In my youth, visitors were automatically offered "a drink" (meaning alcohol). Nowadays, I offer people something to drink - versus "a drink" - and although I have wine in the house, they usually choose water, tea, or coffee.

 

[Jerry1]

After my father retired he started drinking a lot, and would go through close to a bottle of Scotch a day. That went on for a number of years. Then one day he suddenly decided that it was a bad idea and stopped cold turkey. Never touched it again.

That was exactly what he did with his smoking when he was around 40 years old.

I think he was pretty unusual in that ability to suddenly stop something completely.

Wow, my dad was very similar. He stopped smoking around 40. Just stopped. I’ve never known anyone who did that.

He drank a lot and did so into his 70’s. Then one day he just quit. That seems like it would be even harder than quitting the smoking.

Personally, I never drank much (at least since I was in my late teens/early 20’s). Now I don’t drink at all - health reasons. I do kind of miss a burger and a beer once in a while after golf, but Que Sera Sera.

 

[braumeister]

Wow, my dad was very similar.

Another reason they were called the greatest generation. A truly remarkable cohort IMHO.

 

[Lewis Clark]

I can't imagine asking anyone that- it's like asking someone why they don't have kids- many reasons, some of them very personal. DS and DDIL are teetotallers although DS may ask to sample a sip of wine if I'm having a glass in a restaurant. He also cooks with it. Alcoholism killed my Ex, his father. DDIL just doesn't like the taste.

I've been asked many times why I am not drinking alcohol at a social event. I just tell them I don't like the taste, which is the real reason why I drink very little.

Some folks have told me alcohol is an acquired taste. This comment makes zero sense to me. Why consume something I don't like until I acquire a taste for it?

I've also been asked many times why my wife and I do not have kids, though not in recent years. In fact, when we respond by saying we just didn't want kids, we have been told how selfish we are.

 

[Andre1969]

My paternal grandparents both quit smoking, cold turkey, in 1958 around the time that first Surgeon General's warning came out. Well, maybe not "true" cold turkey, but I remember Granddad saying it took them about 3 days to kick the habit entirely, so pretty quick.

In those days though, I don't think cigarettes had all the chemicals in them that they do these days, that keep you more addicted. Still, I imagine it was a hard habit to break.

Isn't there some kind of reaction that you have to worry about when you try to beat alcoholism, cold-turkey? The "DTs" or something like that? I remember my one housemate, the one who could outdrink me and my other housemate put together, got one serious case of "the Shakes" as I always called it, when we were coming back from a day trip to Luray Caverns one time. He had probably cracked open a beer or two first thing in the morning, but then went the whole day without drinking, and was getting a bad craving on the way home.

 

[flyingaway]

Wow, a thread about drinking with most posts about not drinking (much). I drink a beer or a small glass of liquor at dinners almost every other day. I drink beers when I travel outside of the U.S. at restaurants, so as not to order bottled water.
We used to have parties and men drank some good liquor socially and played cards (before retirement). Now in retirement and most of my friends are still working, I don't feel very good after drinking two shots of strong liquor. But I really enjoy drinking good liquor and good beers. I normally refuse drinking low quality alcohol.

 

[Winemaker]

DW and I have a couple of glasses of wine each night with dinner. Every once in a while we skip a night or two, so no dependency issues that we can notice. Don't go to bars, don't drink and drive, unless we go to the local wine making club meeting, where DW is the designated driver. To us, wine is food, and we treat it as such. DW's practice husband was an alcoholic so she knows the issue first hand.

 

[Trooper]

I tend to drink a little more than folks here, but am starting to not like it as much and beginning to cut back. There was a poll on ER recently about levels of alcohol consumption and I was shocked at how many folks either didn't drink at all or drank very little.

Just another example of how the population of this forum differs greatly from the overall population.