Here’s something I notice more and more each holiday season: Fewer of my family and friends are drinking alcohol.
The empty champagne bottles in my recycling bin may indicate otherwise (thanks to brunch mimosas with house guests), but overall I’m encountering more people taking a pass on party cocktails.
I dug around a bit and discovered that my crowd seems to be in the minority, particularly when it comes to people 65 and older, according to The National Institute on Alcoholic Abuse and Alcoholism .
Here’s what they say about older drinkers and their rapidly growing number:
- While the percentage of people ages 65+ who consume alcohol each month increased by 16% between 2002-2019, due to the size of the aging Baby Boomer cohort, the actual number of drinkers in that age group increased 80% during that time.
- 7 million people ages 65+ (12.0% in this age group) reported binge drinking in the previous month.
- According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 38% of all alcohol-related deaths in 2020 and 2021 were people ages 65+.
Alcohol abuse increases our risk of heart disease, stroke, liver disease, several types of cancer and stomach bleeding. It also makes it more difficult to manage diabetes, blood pressure and sleep disorders, among other conditions. And if your weight is an issue, alcohol complicates that, too.
One option if alcohol is an issue, or if you simply want to start the new year healthily is to participate in Dry January; give up alcohol for the first 31 days of the year. You may soon notice you’re sleeping better, your mood is improved and your skin is brighter, among other short-term benefits. A January reset on alcohol may be an easier time to start a sober-curious journey after a month of holiday excess.
