Retirement new gateway to problem drinking

I think most people, even from a young age, are aware of the risks of drinking alcohol in excess or on a regular basis, including impaired judgement, liver failure, drunk driving, addiction, etc. For these reasons, most people keep their alcohol intake in check, because they know they have kids to take care of or jobs they need to be at or just don’t have time for a hangover the next morning. However, in a culture like Wisconsin where social drinking is commonplace, when people retire, and those next day responsibilities are no longer there, social drinking becomes problem drinking all too easily. After being in practice for almost 20 years, I am starting to see longtime patients of mine who I have never had concern with, coming in within a couple years of retirement with a host of new concerns and findings. Often, I will see abnormalities on routine liver tests or blood counts that were never there before or sugars creeping toward diabetes despite insistence they are not eating any differently and may even be exercising more. This has started queuing me to re-ask about their alcohol consumption, and often the answer is, “I probably have 3-4 drinks every night, but I’m retired.” They truly don’t see it as a problem, which is actually understandable. It was not that long ago that patients were told that one drink per day for women and two per day for men was healthy. That is no longer the case. Those are still seen as the maximum safe limits of alcohol intake if people choose to drink, but in many people, any alcohol on a daily basis poses a significant health risk. We now know that there are no significant health benefits from regular alcohol intake. So, ultimately, no alcohol is always a healthier choice. If people do choose to drink on a daily basis even within the guidelines noted above, there are health risks they need to be aware of. Of these health risks, many are known by people, but many are not: • Obesity. Alcohol is a common contributor to weight gain when consumed regularly. • Liver damage or failure, high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, stroke. • Pancreatitis, stomach ulcers, impaired immune system, electrolyte abnormalities. • Increased risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, colon, pancreas and breast. • Increases in depression and anxiety, which is often hard for people to accept because many people increased their alcohol intake to self-medicate these exact conditions. • Impairment in healthy sleep cycles leading to chronic insomnia. • Increased risk of memory loss and dementia. • Regular daily use will frequently lead to neuropathy (damage to the nerves), which impairs balance and increases fall risk, at a time in life when falling is already a big concern even without alcohol as a risk factor. • Long-term daily use increases the risk of dangerous alcohol withdrawals when someone needs to be hospitalized for other conditions and suddenly cannot drink, especially if they have not told their doctor how much they drink. This is also a risk for younger people, but they generally are not hospitalized as often for other reasons. As people age, the need for medical treatment of various chronic health conditions usually increases, but often people do not realize how certain lifestyle choices can either cause these conditions or make it much harder to control. Regular consumption of alcohol will make it much more likely that someone will need prescription medications for high blood pressure, acid reflux, insomnia, depression, anxiety and neuropathy just to name a few, which is another issue, because alcohol can also impact how people react to their medications in dangerous ways. The intent of this column is not to say you cannot drink any alcohol or that you should not be able enjoy your retirement the way you want to. I just want to make sure you remain mindful of these risks as you enter retirement, and don’t let your newfound daily freedom lead to lifestyle choices that in the end will shorten or decrease the quality of this time in your life, that you have worked so hard to get to. Dr. Mindy Frimodig is a family physician at ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano and a member of the Shawano Community Health Action Team.