Sociological Perspectives of Alcohol Abuse in the Elderly - Term Paper Example

?Sociological Perspectives of Alcohol Abuse in the Elderly Introduction Alcohol abuse is a hidden national epidemic among the elderly in many countries around the world in general and the US in particular, where at least 17 per cent of the adult population over 65 years of age has problems of alcohol abuse (OASAS, n.d.). There are generally two types of elderly alcohol abusers: the first are the “hardly survivors” who are at least 65 years of age and have been caught in the habit of alcohol abuse for a long time, while the second group is the “late onset”, which includes elderly people that started abusing alcohol at a mature age. “Some studies have found that about two thirds of elderly alcoholics began heavy drinking prior to the age of 60, with the remaining one third beginning drinking heavily after the age of 60” (Susic, 1999). Factors that trigger changes in life of the late onset group, thus leading it to alcohol abuse include but are not limited to death of a loved one, retirement, health problems, sleep impairment, loss of the source of income, and problems with relationships. Elderly people experience different kinds of medical, psychosocial, and sociological consequences of alcohol abuse that are explored in this paper. Some of the effects commonly experienced by the elderly people with alcohol abuse include depression, chronic illnesses, social exclusion, and unemployment. Medical effects of alcohol abuse on elderly people Elderly people that do alcohol abuse experience all types of dementia except for the Alzheimer’s disease more frequently than those who do not (Thomas and Rockwood, 2001). Owing to the complexity of the relationship between dementias and alcohol use, the reasons for this are not fully known as of now (Dar, 2006). Alcohol abuse is a cause of acquisition of the cognitive deficits among the elderly people. In the study conducted by George et al. (1991), the prevalence of disorders caused by alcohol abuse in the people over 55 years of age was found to be 1.5 times greater in the people having cognitive impairment as compared to people that had no cognitive impairment at all. Elderly have a higher absorption rate of alcohol as compared to the young, their levels of blood alcohol are higher as compared to those of the young when both consume the same amount of alcohol. As a result of this, elderly alcohol abusers experience more intense intoxication by consuming a certain volume of alcohol as compared to the young drinkers. Many complications of alcohol abuse in the elderly drinkers results because of the use of the over-the-counter medications. According to an estimate, the amount of money spent yearly on medications by the elderly is more than $500 million (OASAS, n.d.). Over-the-counter medicines, both when used alone and in combination with alcohol, can cause serious consequences to result. For instance, laxatives can lead to chronic diarrhea, that can cause the imbalance of sodium and potassium in the body, thus setting the stage for irregularities of heart rhythm. When alcohol and medications are frequently combined in the blood stream, it can lead to serious adverse consequences. For example, the reduce flow of blood to the kidneys and the liver causes a drop in the rate of metabolism of certain medications by 50 per cent. Medicines like diazepam and chlordiazepoxide cause prolonged sedation in the elderly because of their prolonged half lives sometimes ranging over days that that drastically increase an individual’s risk of fall and fracture when combined with alcohol’s sedative effects. Many elderly people tend to take overdose of medicine because of their confusion or loss of memory, which can sometimes lead to death. Another significant problem in the elderly people is dependence on nicotine because of their boredom and addiction. Use of nicotine in the early life causes mortality and morbidity in the late years. Psychosocial effects of alcohol abuse on elderly people Alcohol misuse increases an individual’s vulnerability to psychiatric illness in late life. Speer and Bates (1992) carried out research on substance abuse and found that the likelihood of triple diagnosis of depression, personality disorder, and alcoholism was more in the elderly people while the likelihood of single diagnosis of schizophrenia was more in the younger people. Comorbid depressive symptoms are commonly experienced in the old age and play an important role in the prognosis as well as the course of psychiatric disorders. The clinical course of depression in the elderly people with alcohol abuse is more complicated. Depressed alcohol abusing elderly people have more tendency to commit suicide and experience social dysfunction more severely as compared to the non-depressed alcoholics. Alcohol abuse done for the major part of life reduces an individual’s tendency to show a health response to treatment of depression in the late life (Cook et al, 1991). Presence of other kinds of psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia in the old age along with the problems related to alcohol complicates the treatment processes. Alcohol abuse when sustained over a long period of time becomes an integral part of one’s identity. Elderly people have to deal with this added challenge of altering their identity in such a late stage in life if they become determined to stop consuming alcohol. Stopping alcohol consumption after sustained alcohol abuse over a long period of time requires one to have a completely changed outlook on life, society, and one’s role in it. The aged the individual, the more difficult these challenges get to deal with successfully. Sociological effects of alcohol abuse on elderly people One of the most important sociological effects of alcohol abuse on the elderly people is social exclusion. Alcohol abuse increases their tendency to unnecessarily argue with the family and friends which ruins their relations with the people around them. In their attempt to limit the consumption of alcohol by the elderly family member, people use different kinds of tactics including forced admission into a health care center for substance abuse and locking the elderly person in a room within the home. Such experiences are very demanding both for the alcoholic and the family members psychologically, physically and emotionally. As a result of this, they are drawn into social exclusion. In the survey conducted in London around 15 years ago, a significant proportion of the people aged 50 years and above had alcohol related problems (Ward, 1997). Impairment of cognitive abilities because of alcohol abuse in the elderly people saps their ability to be productive in job. As a result of this, they assume increased risk of being terminated from jobs. Problematic behavior caused by alcohol abuse along with old age is another factor that does not go in their favor in the job. The resulting unemployment causes them to be financially dependent on others and are thus, visualized by others as liability. Young people with parents having alcohol abuse are stigmatized. Therefore, children of these elderly alcohol abusers are reluctant to take their parents with them in social gatherings and public places. For the most part, these elderly alcohol abusers are left with their problems to deal with on their own. In such circumstances, financial problems caused by the lack of employment serve only to aggravate the matters for them. Conclusion Although alcohol abuse is less pervasive in the old people as compared to the young, yet its effects in the old age lead to a significant increase in morbidity. Disorders related to alcohol in the elderly people are commonly observed. Elderly people experience a range of medical, psychosocial, and sociological effects because of alcohol abuse. The psychosocial functioning of the elderly people with alcohol abuse is significantly poor and they experience different kinds of chronic medical problems. The use of prescription medications with alcohol consumption at the old age increases an individual’s susceptibility to adverse pharmacokinetic interactions with the alcohol. Besides, old people experience impairment of cognitive abilities linked with alcohol abuse that can in turn cause medication errors and lack of compliance with the regimens of treatment for the chronic illnesses. The manifestations and effects of alcohol abuse on the elderly people are often more nonspecific and subjective as compared to what are observed in the young alcohol abusers. Alcohol abuse in the elderly people is typically associated with a range of precipitants that include but are not limited to social isolation, psychiatric comorbidity, and loss. Owing to the limited reliability of the self-reported behaviors of problematic drinking in the elderly people, alcohol abuse may be identified with the help of information retrieved from the individual’s friends and family. Identification and treatment of the alcohol abuse is difficult to achieve in the elderly people. This imparts the need for the development of an outreach approach that includes all information about the problem and the sources and type of help that is available. Important areas that need systematic consideration during the identification of alcohol abuse in the elderly people include but are not limited to untreated medical illnesses, psychiatric comorbidity, abuse of prescription drug, functional assessment, cognitive impairment, and need for the social services. References Cook, B. L., Winokur, G., Garvey, M. J., et al. (1991). Depression and previous alcoholism in the elderly. British Journal of Psychiatry. 158, 72–75. Dar, K. (2006). Alcohol use disorders in elderly people: fact or fiction? Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 12, 173-181. George, L. K., Landerman, D. G., Blazer, and D. G., et al. (1991). “Cognitive impairment”. In Psychiatric Disorders in America: The Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study (eds L. N. Robins & D. M. Reiger), pp. 291–327. New York: Free Press. OASAS. (n.d.). Elderly Alcohol and Substance Abuse. Addiction Medicine FYI. Retrieved from http://www.oasas.ny.gov/AdMed/FYI/FYIInDepth-Elderly.cfm. Speer, D. C., and Bates, K. (1992). Comorbid mental and substance disorders among older psychiatric patients. Journal of the American Geriatric Society. 40, 886–890. Susic, P. (1999). Negative Effects of Alcohol Abuse on Adolescents and the Elderly. Retrieved from http://www.psychtreatment.com/alcohol_abuse_adolescence_and_elderly.htm. Thomas, V. S., and Rockwood, K. J. (2001). Alcohol abuse, cognitive impairment and mortality among older people. Journal of the American Geriatric Society. 49, 415–420. Ward, M. (1997). Older People and Alcohol. London: Health Education Authority. Read More