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Rudolf H. Moos, PhD, Penny L. Brennan, PhD, Kathleen K. Schutte, PhD and Bernice S. Moos, BS

The authors are with the Center for Health Care Evaluation, Department of Veterans Affairs, Menlo Park, Calif. Rudolf H. Moos and Bernice S. Moos are also with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Rudolf H. Moos, PhD, Center for Health Care Evaluation (152-MPD), VA Health Care System, 795 Willow Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (e-mail: rmoos{at}stanford.edu).

Objectives. We used several different guidelines for appropriate alcohol use to identify patterns of high-risk alcohol consumption among older women and men and examined associations between these patterns and late-life alcohol use problems.

Methods. A sample of 1291 older adults participated in a survey of alcohol consumption and alcohol use problems and was studied again 10 years later.

Results. Depending on the guideline, 23% to 50% of women and 29% to 45% of men engaged in potentially unsafe alcohol use patterns. The likelihood of risky alcohol use declined over the 10 years; however, the numbers of drinks consumed per week and per day were associated with alcohol use problems at both assessment intervals.

Conclusion. Our findings imply that guidelines for alcohol consumption should be no more liberal for older men than for older women.

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