Wisconsin Addiction Research Laboratory

Understanding the older population

   1.  The number of individuals in the United States over the age of 65 is expected to double from 46 million to 98 million people by 2060.

   2.  In the United States, 59.9% of men and 47.5% of women over the age of 60 currently consume alchol.

   3.  Older adults have the highest percentage of binge drinking (5 or more drinks in one setting for males or 4 or more drinks in one setting for female) of any age demographics.

   4.  The increase in binge drinking in older females is greater than the increase in binge drinking in older males.

   5.  Wisconsin leads the nation in death due to falls in the aged population, causing more deaths than either prostate cancer or breast cancer.  https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/health-med-fit/wisconsin-still-has-nations-highest-rate-of-deadly-falls-among-older-adults/article_b81e5663-0e29-5861-8e74-ca7409127138.html

   6.  Alcohol use in the older population produces falls in this age demographic.

   7.  Understanding how alcohol impacts the older population is a critical public health issue.

​