A family history of alcohol abuse frequently precedes onset for those who become addicted to alcohol in their later years. Watkins believes the cause may be social factors. Overall, late-onset alcoholics tend to have lived good lives, were fairly high achievers and well adjusted throughout their lives. Watkins concurred with other experts in pointing to common causes, such as the loss of loved ones and related increases in depression. That is a loss of status.
Age is, for better or worse, a social equalizer.
It doesn't lift the lower classes up, but it does pull people who have had more successful lifestyles down. Once you retire and lose your career, many people feel that they lose their sense of purpose in life. Daisy was a capable and very manipulative woman when she was younger. She was either bright enough or hardworking enough or forceful enough to get her way. Well, that stops working after a period of time, and the loss of coping skills contributes to a person's inability to control their lives the way they did earlier.