Middle Aged Adults Trying to Avoid the Peer Pressure to Drink
A new study published in the journal Sociology of Health & Illness reveals that middle-aged adults are making excuses to avoid alcohol at social gatherings. In contrast to their youthful drinking days, middle-aged adults are more reluctant to drink in front of their peers and are much less likely to become as visibly intoxicated as younger adults who drink at parties.
Using Excuses When Peers Pressure
The Medical Research Council (MRC) studied 36 people aged 35 to 50 in Scotland. Within this large group, eight groups of friends were questioned about their drinking habits in both social situations and when they were alone.
The report suggests that peer pressure to drink doesn't subside when adults grow older. Even middle-aged adults have a hard time just saying no when their friends pressure them to drink. When pushed to have a drink with friends, those interviewed admitted that they used excuses that they had to be a designated driver that night and some of the women used the excuse that they were on a diet.
Closet Drinkers
The interviews revealed that even though middle-aged adults don't often act like college party animals, their consumption doesn't wane as they grow older. Rather than drink in front of friends and risk losing control, they still drink a large amount of alcohol in the privacy of their own home. The Daily Telegraph reported that 50 percent of those interviewed drank more than the weekly recommended limit of alcohol. Four persons were drinking at harmful levels.
Dr. Carol Emslie, leader of the study, stressed that these statistics prove that there are groups of middle-aged adults out there who quietly struggle with alcohol abuse. It's not just a disease of the young partiers. She acknowledges that the holiday season is a tempting time to overindulge in alcohol and possibly lose control in front of friends and co-workers. The adults who realize this are attempting to avoid this scenario by refusing to take a drink at a party, and inventing stories for why they aren't having that glass of wine or rum punch.
Removing the Mask Over Middle Age Drinking Problems
The director of the MRC Social and Public Health Sciences, Professor Dame Sally Macintyre, believes the study unmasked the drinking problem in middle-aged adults. Nearly 7,100 people died from alcohol-related illnesses in 2009. It's a mix of all ages. It is estimated that seven percent of all individuals are admitted to the hospital because of an alcohol-related condition. The Office for National Statistics reported that individuals in the upper class were most at risk as they aged because they could not determine how much alcohol was too much.
This study provides awareness to doctors, families, and friends. It is not always apparent who needs treatment for a drinking problem. The designated driver might be in more danger after they arrive home.
