Because the National Alcohol and Other Drugs Survey does not include institutionalized seniors, it is quite conceivable that rates of prescription drug use are even higher than reported here, as that subpopulation typically receives greater medical care. The survey results indicate that the number of elderly people in Canada who use illicit drugs is negligible. The percentage of current drinkers who report drinking to feel good, to relax, to forget worries and to feel less inhibited tends to decrease with age. Male drinkers are more likely than female drinkers to use alcohol as a means of facilitating mood change. The elderly are much less likely than younger people to report having experienced any problems caused by their own alcohol consumption in the year preceding the survey.
Elderly men are more likely to report alcohol-related problems than elderly women.
Young and middle-aged Canadians are much more likely than older Canadians to report having driven a car within an hour of having two or more drinks in the year preceding the survey. Elderly men are much more likely than their female counterparts to drink and drive. The likelihood of having experienced any particular problem in the year preceding the survey as a result of someone else's drinking decreases with age. The elderly report consuming alcohol at home more than in any other place. Of all age groups, the elderly are the most likely to report consuming alcohol at home and the least likely to report drinking at bars or taverns.