Alkohol och äldre

Abstract

M. Ramstedt: Alcohol use and related harms among older people in Sweden – not a marginal issue anymore There has been an increasing interest in drinking among older people in Sweden in recent years as today's older people drink more than previous generations and also constitute a larger part of the population. This paper examines survey data on drinking habits in combination with register data on alcohol-related harms to obtain a clearer picture of the importance of alcohol among older people in Sweden today. A clear majority older people in Sweden drink alcohol at least on a monthly basis; in 2007, the differences when compared to younger age groups were quite small. Still, as regards levels of drinking and frequency of binge drinking, older people drank less than younger age groups. In contrast to younger age groups who reported less drinking between 2002 and 2007, older age groups tended to have stable or increasing consumption. In addition, alcohol-related mortality and hospitalisation as well as drink-driving, have increased among older people in recent years but not among younger groups. Cohort effects and media reports of the beneficial effects of alcohol are brought up as plausible explanations for the results. Implications for the total consumption model and the theory of collectivity of drinking culture are also discussed.