Demographic features of patients aged 65 and over drinking alcohol
| Older drinkers | Unsafe drinkers | |
|---|---|---|
| Number | 9248 | 1980 |
| Mean (SD) age | 73.7 (7.1) | 72.1 (6.3) |
| Sex | 60% Male | 65.1% Male |
| 40% Female | 34.9% Female | |
| Ethnicity | 67.9% white | 79.8% white |
| 6.2% Irish | 8.2% Irish | |
| 13.3% Caribbean | 6.5% Caribbean | |
| 4.% African | 1% African | |
| 3.7% Asian | 2.5% Asian |
The median volume of alcohol consumed by the older drinkers was 6 units per week (figure 1). For males, the highest 5th centile were drinking ≥50 units per week and for females, ≥23 U per week. Altogether, 1980 (21.4%) of the older drinkers exceeded recommended (safe) limits.