As we get older and our bodies change, our ability to tolerate alcohol changes too.
The changes you face as you get older are important to understand when thinking about drinking alcohol. Different health issues may develop as you age. You may also need to take more medications than you used to, or different medications that are affected by alcohol.
Here are some potential complications to consider and discuss with your healthcare provider:
- High blood alcohol concentration: As we age, muscle mass is replaced by fat tissue. This means that an older person who drinks the same amount as someone younger will generally have a higher blood alcohol concentration (BAC). The amount of water in our body also goes down with age, contributing to higher BAC.
- Slower processing of alcohol: The older you are the longer alcohol stays in your liver before it moves into the general bloodstream or is metabolised – increasing the risk of damage to your liver. Blood flow to your liver is decreased, along with your liver enzymes.
- Increased risk of accidents: Physical and mental functions (including coordination, vision, hearing and reflexes) become impaired as you age, putting you at higher risks of accidents such as falls, slips or car crashes.
- Potential medication interaction(s): If you take over-the-counter or prescription medication, you should always seek the advice of your doctor before drinking due to the possibility of side effects. Medications that are known to react with alcohol include:
- Anti-anxiety drugs
- Antibiotics
- Antidepressants
- Antihistamines
- Blood thinners
- Diabetes drugs
Benefits of alcohol
For middle-aged or older people who are fit and healthy, research has shown the drinking light to moderate amounts of alcohol (within the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from alcohol*) may lead to a lower risk of developing some conditions and diseases such as:
- Atherosclerosis
- Bone loss
- Cerebrovascular disease (including stroke)
- Dementia
- Depression
- High blood pressure
- Other heart conditions
However, it is important to remember that you shouldn’t take up drinking just to get the health benefits.
* Read about the guidelines here.
Please note: This information does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon in this way. The information is correct at the time of publication. For information specific to your situation contact a legal aid service in your state or territory.
Definition
Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) refers to the amount of alcohol present in the bloodstream.
A BAC of 0.05% (point 0 five) means that there is 0.05 grams of alcohol in every 100 millilitres of blood.
Factors affecting the BAC
The more a person drinks, the higher their BAC, however, two people who drink the same amount of alcohol might register quite different BACs. This is due to a variety of factors including body size, whether or not they have eaten recently, percentage of body fat, whether they are male or female and whether or not they have drunk before.
Body size
A smaller person will have a higher BAC than a larger person for the same amount of alcohol consumed, because the alcohol is concentrated in a smaller body mass.
Empty stomach
A person with an empty stomach will reach a higher BAC sooner than someone who has just eaten a meal, because food in the stomach slows the rate at which alcohol passes into the bloodstream. However, eating before drinking does not prevent intoxication.
Body fat
Alcohol is not absorbed into fatty tissue, therefore people with a greater proportion of body fat will develop a high BAC more quickly than those who have lower proportions of fatty tissue. This occurs because the alcohol becomes concentrated in the smaller mass of non-fatty tissue.
Gender
Women’s bodies, being generally smaller than those of men and with a higher ratio of fatty tissue to lean muscle, will absorb alcohol more quickly than men’s bodies do. This means that a woman drinking the same amount of alcohol as a man, will develop a high BAC more quickly than the man will.
Inexperience
Less experienced drinkers have a lower tolerance to alcohol and so their BAC is likely to rise more quickly than it will in more experienced drinkers.
Driving
Alcohol is a depressant drug. It slows down the activity of the central nervous system, including the brain.
Alcohol could affect your driving by causing:
- impaired vision
- reduced reaction times
- reduced concentration and vigilance
- feeling more relaxed and drowsy, which may cause a driver to fall asleep at the wheel
- difficulty in understanding sensory information
- difficulty doing several tasks at once (e.g. keep in the lane and in the right direction, while concentrating on other traffic)
- failure to obey road rules
- over confidence, which may lead to risk taking.
The hangover effects of alcohol, the next day, can make it hard to concentrate and drive safely, and might cause you to fall asleep while driving.
A person who has been drinking alcohol may think that if they are especially careful, they will be able to drive safely. However, the alcohol may have affected their view and experience of reality. Their actions and responses may be quite different to what is actually needed, but they may be unaware of how much their driving skills have been affected.
Tips for driving safely
If you intend to drive, the safest option is not to drink.
Keep track of how much you drink
If you do decide to drink, keep track of how much you drink, by monitoring the number of standard drinks you consume each hour.
Some people may need to drink less to keep their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) under 0.05 and drive safely. Find out more about BAC.
Limit your drinking
- Start with a non-alcoholic drink, and have a non-alcoholic drink (a “spacer”) every second or third drink.
- Avoid topping up your glass, as it makes it difficult to keep an accurate track of how much you’ve had.
- Drink low-alcohol drinks, and avoid mixed drinks, like cocktails, as it is difficult to tell how much alcohol they contain.
- Avoid drinking in shouts or rounds, so you don’t feel pressured to keep up with your friends.
- Sip drinks, and avoid salty snacks or other food that increase thirst.
Wait for your BAC to drop before driving
It is important to remember that BAC can continue to rise up up to 3 hours after the last drink was consumed.
The only way to remove alcohol from your system is to allow the body time to process it. Showers, coffee or fresh air will not reduce BAC.
On average, the liver breaks down a little less than one standard drink per hour. Before driving, you should wait at least an hour for each standard drink you’ve had.
Have a back-up plan
If you have too much to drink, be prepared to make other arrangements so you don’t have to drive to get home.
For more information, please click on the Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s (previously Australian Drug Foundation) logo below.
1. Australian Drug Foundation. Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). Last updated 8 June 2011. //www.druginfo.adf.org.au/topics/bac (accessed Feb 2013).
2. Australian Drug Foundation. How does alcohol affect driving? Last updated 27 April 2012. //www.druginfo.adf.org.au/topics/how-does-alcohol-affect-driving (accessed Jan 2013).
Home Health & Medicine Conditions & Diseases
alcohol consumption, the drinking of beverages containing ethyl alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are consumed largely for their physiological and psychological effects, but they are often consumed within specific social contexts and may even be a part of religious practices. Because of the effects that alcohol has on the body and on behaviour, governments often regulate its use. Alcoholic beverages include wine, beer, and spirits. In beers the alcohol content varies from as little as 2 percent to as much as 8 percent; most lager- or ale-type beers contain between 4 and 5 percent. Natural or unfortified wines (such as burgundy, Chianti, and chardonnay) usually contain between 8 and 12 percent alcohol, though some varieties have a somewhat higher content, ranging from 12 to 14 percent. Spirits, including vodka, rum, and whiskey, usually contain between 40 and 50 percent alcohol. A standard drink served in most bars contains 0.5–0.7 fluid ounce of absolute alcohol. (One ounce equals approximately 30 ml.) Thus, a 1.5-ounce (45-ml) shot of vodka, a 5-ounce (150-ml) glass of wine, and a 12-ounce (355-ml) bottle of beer are equally intoxicating.