title: Older adult problem drinkers: who presents for alcohol treatment?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe a treatment population of older adults (60+ years) assessed for alcohol treatment over a 20-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of alcohol treatment assessment data relating to all older adults assessed by one UK NHS Trust Community Alcohol Team (n = 585) between April 1988 and March 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over the 20-year period, the number of assessments per year increased though the demographic profile of those assessed for treatment remained the same: male (62%), white ethnic origin (94%) and average age 65.7 years. The average amount of alcohol consumed per week was 102.91 units. Most were drinking alcohol on a daily basis (79%), mainly spirits (79%), at home (84%), alone (82%) and 'to reduce tension/anxiety' (22%). The average length of having had an alcohol problem was 9.7 years. Significant gender differences were found in terms of demographic profile and drinking patterns.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The older adults assessed for alcohol treatment were drinking in amounts comparable to the treatment population of younger adult problem drinkers, men more so than women. The majority were not reporting problems with their drinking until they were on average in their middle-to-late 50s and were therefore considered to be late onset 'reactors' rather than early onset 'survivors' of longer term heavy drinking patterns reported in earlier studies.
authors: School of Psychology - Clinical Section, University of Leicester, Leicester, England. mc110@le.ac.uk
authors: Marilyn M
authors: MM
authors: Christie
authors: Deborah
authors: D
authors: Bamber
authors: Charlotte
authors: C
authors: Powell
authors: Tina
authors: T
authors: Arrindell
authors: Anshuman
authors: A
authors: Pant
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000208:ethnology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires