Stay Informed

Sign up for news & alerts

Already signed up?
Login here

take action
For every $1 states spend dollar sign on substance misuse and addiction, 94 cents go to shovel up the consequences instead of for treatment and prevention. TELL YOUR LEGISLATORS

What Can I Do?



Continuing Education
Free online courses for addiction counselors LEARN ONLINE

Get Help
Need alcohol or drug help for yourself or someone else? GET HELP

 
Alcohol as Analgesic: Older Drinkers Numb the Pain
October 14, 2005

Share Share Email
Email
Print
Print
SubscribeSubscribe
Research Summary

Many older adults suffer from pain and a significant proportion have unhealthy alcohol use. To examine the relationship between pain and alcohol problems among the elderly, researchers studied 401 community-dwelling older adults (aged 62-72 years) at baseline and 3 years later.
  • At baseline, a greater proportion of problem drinkers* than nonproblem drinkers reported moderate to very severe pain (about 43 percent versus 30 percent) and functional impairment from pain (about 33 percent versus 18 percent).

  • A greater proportion of problem drinkers used alcohol to manage pain (about 38 percent versus 14 percent). These proportions were higher among those with moderate to very severe pain (about 58 percent versus 21 percent).

  • Baseline use of alcohol to manage pain predicted more chronic health problems and injuries in men and more drinking problems in women at the three-year follow-up, particularly among those with more alcohol problems at baseline.
Comments by Peter Friedmann, MD, MPH:

Older adults, especially those with drinking problems, often use alcohol to manage pain. Besides the immediate dangers of mixing alcohol with nonsteroidal and opioid analgesics, using alcohol to manage pain increases the risk of poor health in the future. This study suggests that clinicians need to ask patients with problem drinking about pain and ask patients with pain about alcohol use; counsel both groups about the risks of using alcohol as an analgesic; and help them find safer, more effective methods of pain relief.

* = drinking problems as determined by the Drinking Problems Index questionnaire.

Reference:
Brennan PL, Schutte KK, Moos RH. Pain and use of alcohol to manage pain: prevalence and 3-year outcomes among older problem and non-problem drinkers. Addiction. 2005; 100(6): 777-786.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:
(Comments now appear first to last)

Your Turn! Post a public comment (guidelines):

Name:

Comment:
(limit 250
words)
Enter this word
(help):		 Change

GUIDELINES: 
To keep this feature useful for everyone, please:

  1. Keep it clean, courteous, brief, and on-topic. Comments are for discussion of the above article, not general rants or manifestos. Serial comments intended to circumvent the 250-word limit may be deleted.

  2. Do not post promotional web links, personal information or requests for assistance (get help).

  3. Proof your comments carefully, use good spelling and punctuation, and don't use ALL CAPS. Comments are published immediately and cannot be edited.

Deceptive, slanderous and commercial posts are prohibited. We reserve the right to remove comments. (Report a comment).

Have questions or feedback? Contact us.