‘Risky drinking’ of liberal baby boomers behind rise in hospital admissions

THE “risky” drinking habits of baby boomers mean they now account for almost half of alcohol-related hospital admissions, experts have warned.

Researchers said “liberal views” towards alcohol among the post-war generation were increasingly putting their health at risk.

Official figures show a tripling in alcohol-related hospital admissions among those aged between 55 and 74 over the last decade. They now make up 45 per cent of such cases, with more than 500,000 admissions in 2015-16, while the proportion of cases involving younger drinkers has fallen heavily.

NHS researchers said they were particularly concerned about a rise in cases among older women, especially those whose consumption soared amid major life events, such as retirement, divorce or bereavement. Researchers said “risky drinking” was now in decline – except among those aged 50 and over, where it has become a “rapidly growing problem”. Overall, total alcohol-related admissions have doubled in a decade, NHS data shows, with 1.1million such episodes in 2015-16.

While the proportion involving baby boomers has risen – from 36 per cent to 45 per cent – among those aged 35 and under the proportion has fallen from 29 per cent to nine per cent. An editorial in the British Medical Journal by experts from hospitals in London and Australia said urgent action was needed to improve detection of alcohol problems among older drinkers.

Dr Tony Rao, visiting researcher at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and Ann Roche, director of the National Centre for Training and Addiction at Flinders University in Australia, said there was now a “strong upward trend for episodic heavy drinking” among people aged 50 and over. “Alcohol misuse in the older population may increase further as baby boomers get older because of their more liberal views towards, and higher use of, alcohol,” they warned.

“A lack of sound alcohol screening to detect risky drinking may result in a greater need for treatment, longer duration of treatment, heavier use of ambulance services, and higher rates of hospital admission.”