Alcohol researchers prove brief intervention successful in older proble...( A study reported in the Journal of Fa...),Health

A study reported in the Journal of Family Practice (Volume 48, Number 5) shows that brief intervention can reduce alcohol consumption in problem drinkers aged 65 years and older. Project GOAL (Guiding Older Adult Lifestyles) is the first U.S. randomized controlled clinical trial to test the effectiveness of brief counseling by community-based primary care physicians in older problem drinkers.

"Following on the 1997 success of the Trial for Early Alcohol Treatment (Project TrEAT), conducted by the same research team in problem drinkers aged 18-64, these results are good news for the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population," said Enoch Gordis, M.D., Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "Even for patients who do not meet diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence (alcoholism) or alcohol abuse, the combined effects of alcohol and aging increase the risk of falls, fractures, traffic crashes, medication interactions, depression and other medical conditions."

Results from surveys of different age groups in the community suggest that the elderly, usually defined as persons older than 65 years, consume less alcohol and have fewer alcohol-related problems than younger drinkers. In contrast, surveys conducted in health care settings have found increasing prevalence of alcoholism among older adults. In acute care hospitals, rates of alcohol-related admissions are similar to rates for heart attacks, and some surveys have found nursing home prevalence of problem drinking to be as high as 49 percent.

A 1996 study conducted in community clinics reported that 15 percent of men and 12 percent of women aged 60 years and older regularly drank in excess of one drink each day, the limit recommended by NIAAA for any older person who drinks.

NIAAA's recommendation is based on animal and human studies that suggest that sensitivity to alcohol's health effects increases with age (see Alcohol Alert Number 40, April 1998).

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Contact: Ann Bradley
301-443-3860
NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
23-Jun-1999