But when he goes home he doesn't stop, he drinks more, a lot more. It wasn't always like this. He was forced to retire early from his life-long career, and his wife left him. He was lonely, frustrated, and scared. To ease the pain, he turned to the bottle.
Women are even more likely to start heavy drinking later in life.
Most drinkers who started late are affected by social isolation and physical health problems. Many are affected by grief or loss, and others affected by housing, marital, and mental health problems. Substance abuse among the elderly is a growing problem for the healthcare industry. Substance abuse-related cases cost more to treat because they require almost 26 percent more hospital staff and other resources than discharges that are unrelated to substance abuse. He stumbles while carrying out the trash, falls down the stairs, and breaks an arm.