Introduction
Trends towards increased consumption of alcohol even at levels
well short of dependence raise concerns for public health,
particularly among those in later life. Alcohol consumption and
alcohol-related deaths or problems have recently increased among
older age groups in many developed countries, including the USA,
Australia and many countries of the European Union [1–5]. The
US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
recommends that healthy adults aged over 65 years who do not
take medications should not drink more than 3 drinks (42 g
alcohol) per day or 7 drinks (92 g alcohol) per week [6]. Yet 10.8%
of men and 2.9% of women in a large US sample aged over 65
reported exceeding these limits, compared with 28.6% of men and
10.3% of women in a UK sample the same age [7] and just over a
fifth of samples of comparable age in Finland and Belgium [8]. In
the USA, 23% of men and 9% of women aged 50–64, and 14% of
men and 3% of women aged 65 and above, report binge drinking
(consuming five or more drinks) on at least one occasion in the
preceding month [9], while 27% of Europeans aged over 54 years
report doing so on a weekly basis [10]. Frequent alcohol