This summer’s high temperatures and humidity in Maine and over the entire country make that frosty glass of beer or the ice clinking in a gin and tonic even more appealing, but beware! Alcohol is not a good hydration source and can lead to multiple problems for seniors.
Alcohol is a diuretic. It flushes water from the body and causes dehydration, which can lead to the muscle cramping, dizziness, faintness and nausea of heat stroke.
Although one or two alcoholic drinks a day are touted as safe and even beneficial, older adults have to be very careful about combining drinking with antidepressants, sedatives or other drugs, and aware of alcohols interaction with other health issues like diabetes, hepatitis and gout.
Older people are also more impaired by alcohol than their younger counterparts, perhaps because alcohol is metabolized and removed from the body differently once you age. Even moderate amounts of alcohol can cause impairment in people over 50. In one study in Florida, adults 50-74 who consumed two drinks took 5 seconds longer to complete a task than adults 23-35 who’d had the same amount of alcohol. That’s a significant amount of time if you’re driving a car, negotiating a sandy beach or crossing the street! (A control group found that both ages took the same amount of time to complete the task without alcohol.)
So if you’re drinking, follow some easy common-sense rules.
- Drink a full glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you consume.
- Limit your alcohol intake. Set your limit BEFORE you start drinking.
- Allow extra time to metabolize your cocktail or beer before undertaking any task, like driving home from the family gathering or putting burgers on a hot grill.
- Pay attention to how much your friends are drinking, and coach each other on staying safe.
When you’ve finished mowing the lawn, it’s probably good to have a big glass of water before you settle into the shade with an icy beer. And give yourself plenty of time before you set out on your next chore.