At present, there is concern about underage and young adult drinkers, as patterns of early consumption and learnt behaviours can continue into adulthood, and pose long-term health and social problems (DH 2007).
Interestingly, the populations receiving less attention are those in midlife and older, and these individuals may be at increased risk of alcohol misuse. The Royal College
of Psychiatrists (2011) cautions that older adults are often overlooked when screening for harmful levels of alcohol consumption.
This is supported by Parkes et al (2011) and Wilson et al (2011)who suggested that older people do not meet the stereotypes associated with ‘problem drinkers’ and are not hought to drink alcohol at levels that are considered harmful to health.
Similarly, women are frequently under-represented in studies on alcohol consumption and its associated problems(Heather et al 2008).
This is a significant omission as women who have high incomes and those living in deprived areas are particularly vulnerable to drinking in excess of daily limits (Boniface and Shelton 2013).