Alcohol's Effects on Health

Research-based information on drinking and its impact.

Alcohol and Older Adults Ages 65+

Updated: November 2024

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Binge drinking by older adults in the United States. In 2023, 12% of people ages 65+ reported that they engaged in binge drinking in the past month. Source: 2023 NSDUH.
  • According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 48.6 million people ages 65+ (83.9% in this age group) reported that they drank alcohol in their lifetime.1,2
  • According to the 2023 NSDUH, 33.0 million people ages 65+ (56.9% in this age group) reported that they drank alcohol in the past year.1,2
  • According to the 2023 NSDUH, 25.3 million people ages 65+ (43.7% in this age group) reported that they drank alcohol in the previous month.1,2
  • According to the 2023 NSDUH, 7.0 million people ages 65+ (12.0% in this age group) reported binge drinking in the previous month.3,4
  • According to the 2023 NSDUH, 1.9 million people ages 65+ (3.3% in this age group) reported heavy alcohol use in the previous month.3,4
  • According to the 2023 NSDUH, 2.7 million people ages 65+ (4.6% in this age group) met the criteria for past-year alcohol use disorder.5,6
  • According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 38% of all alcohol-related deaths in 2020 and 2021 were people ages 65+.7
  • Of concern is the rapidly growing number of drinkers aged 65 and older. While the percentage of people ages 65+ who consume alcohol each month increased by 16% between 2002-2019, due to the size of the aging Baby Boomer cohort, the actual number of drinkers in that age group increased 80% during that time.8

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), many (but not all) NSDUH estimates from 2023 are comparable with 2022 and updated 2021 estimates. However, 2021–2023 estimates are not comparable with 2020 or prior years’ estimates. Please see the 2023 NSDUH Frequently Asked Questions and section 2.3.4 of the 2023 Methodological Summary and Definitions report for more details.

According to CDC, due to scientific updates to Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI), estimates of alcohol-attributable deaths or years of potential life lost generated in the current version of ARDI should not be compared with estimates that were generated using the ARDI default reports or analyses in the ARDI Custom Data Portal prior to February 29, 2024.

References

  1. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.8A—Alcohol use in lifetime, past year, and past month: among people aged 12 or older; by detailed age category, numbers in thousands, 2022 and 2023. [cited 2024 Sep 6]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables
  2. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.8B— Alcohol use in lifetime, past year, and past month: among people aged 12 or older; by detailed age category, percentages, 2022 and 2023. [cited 2024 Sep 6]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables
  3. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.9A—Alcohol, binge alcohol, and heavy alcohol use in past month: among people aged 12 or older; by detailed age category, numbers in thousands, 2022 and 2023. [cited 2024 Sep 6]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables
  4. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.9B— Alcohol, binge alcohol, and heavy alcohol use in past month: among people aged 12 or older; by detailed age category, percentages, 2022 and 2023. [cited 2024 Sep 6]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables
  5. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 5.3A—Drug use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and substance use disorder in past year: among people aged 12 or older; by detailed age category, thousands, 2022 and 2023. [cited 2024 Sep 6]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables
  6. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 5.3B—Drug use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and substance use disorder in past year: among people aged 12 or older; by detailed age category, percentages, 2022 and 2023. [cited 2024 Sep 6]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables
  7. Alcohol and Public Health: Alcohol-Related Disease Impact. [Table], Annual average for United States 2020–2021 alcohol-attributable deaths due to excessive alcohol use, all ages. [cited 2024 Mar 13]. Available from: https://nccd.cdc.gov/DPH_ARDI/Default/Report.aspx?T=AAM&P=F1F85724-AEC5-4421-BC88-3E8899866842&R=EACE3036-77C9-4893-9F93-17A5E1FEBE01&M=7F40785C-D481-440A-970F-50EFBD21B35B&F=&D=
  8. White AM, Orosz A, Powell PA, Koob GF. Alcohol and aging – an area of increasing concern. Alcohol. 2023 Mar:107:19-27. PubMed PMID: 35940508

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