Alcoholism can affect anyone at any age, but most often it is viewed as a problem stemming from hard partying during college or as a coping mechanism to deal with stressful jobs and life. However, what is often overlooked are problems with alcohol as people age. As more than 10,000 baby boomers a day are turning 65 years old, many of them may have or develop dependence on alcohol, particularly given the fact that as the body ages, how it interacts with and reacts to alcohol also changes. The same amount of alcohol one drank at age 25 can lead to higher blood alcohol content at age 65. On Jan. 1, 2011, the first of the baby boomer generation -- born between 1946 and 1964 -- began to turn age 65. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 10,000 Americans a day will turn that age, a trend that will continue for the next 19 years.
According to the National Institutes of Health, alcohol is a factor in 60 percent of fatal burn injuries, drowning, and homicides and in 40 percent of car crashes, suicides, and falls. Alcoholism can also be made worse or have adverse actions in older people, as many are on medication for chronic diseases or other health conditions. Alcohol can cause these medications to cease to work properly, and can cause unfavorable side effects, such as sleepiness, confusion, lack of coordination, nausea, headaches and vomiting. Many times symptoms of alcoholism go unnoticed or are ignored because a lot of the symptoms are considered as just a sign of a person getting older.
Alcoholism is also untreated because a lot of the baby boomer generation came of age during the 60s and 70s when alcohol and substance abuse in general was more widespread. Some may still continue to abuse substances besides alcohol, and not seek treatment. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends that a person over the age of 65 should not consume more than three drinks in a day or more than seven in one week. However, given that alcohol affects the body and a person differently as they age, some should abstain completely from alcohol. Research has shown that intervention programs aimed at older substance abusers are often successful and help prevent the development of other illnesses and health complications that come with substance abuse. This is where the Freedom Center can help.
The Freedom Center has trained staff and interventionists who can help an individual or family struggling with alcoholism. Their holistic all natural program features a healthy diet and vitamin regimen combined with a dry sauna to help get a person back to full health, and remove residues left over from short term or extended alcohol and substance abuse. The Freedom Center can be reach 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-877-362-9682. Call today if you or someone you know is suffering from the perils of alcohol or substance abuse.
