The percentage of older adults who drink each month is increasing — particularly for women, Koob said. And older adults who do drink do so more frequently than people younger than 65 years old, he added. The impacts of alcohol on things such as driving performance, reaction time, memory and balance are bigger in older adults than younger drinkers, he added. Combining alcohol and medication is also risky, and almost 90% of older adults are taking at least one medication regularly, Collier said. “One study found that older adults are more likely to experience depressed breathing than young adults following a combination of alcohol and opioids,” Koob said.

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Persons: George F, Koob, ” Koob, ”, “, Stephanie Collier, Collier Organizations: CNN, National Institute, Alcohol, McLean Hospital, Westend61 Locations: Massachusetts, Belmont , Massachusetts, Michigan