Recognizing that the effects of alcohol on individuals can change as people age, the National Institutes of Health’s NIHSeniorHealth website launched a webpage on “Alcohol Use and Older Adults.”
Aging can lower the body’s tolerance for alcohol, causing impairments that similar drinking habits would not have caused at a younger age. “Older adults can experience the effects of alcohol, such as slurred speech and lack of coordination, more quickly than when they were younger,” said Kenneth R. Warren, acting director of NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
The new webpage includes information on safe amounts of alcohol for older adults and any precautions that should be taken for those on medications.
