“Women of my age tend to drink”: the social construction of alcohol use by Australian and Danish women aged 50–70 years

Abstract

In Australia and Denmark, women aged 50–70 years are more likely than younger women to consume alcohol at levels that exceed national low risk drinking guidelines. To explore and possibly help explain this sociocultural shift in patterns of alcohol use, this research investigated the social construction of alcohol use amongst 49 women (25 in Northern Denmark, 24 in Western Australia) aged 50–69 years. The women viewed drinking as normal and acceptable. While some women reported reducing their drinking due to health concerns, others neutralised alcohol‐related health risks through compensatory behaviours including exercise. Such constructions arguably serve to sustain at‐risk drinking amongst some women. Our research highlights that interventions to minimise alcohol‐related health risks amongst middle‐aged and young‐old women should acknowledge that women's social construction of their drinking practices may prioritise subjective experiences of “being in control” while drinking, over biomedical understandings of the health impacts of alcohol.

The health of older Western Australians: the role of age, gender, geographic location, psychological distress, perceived health, tobacco and alcohol

“…As such, psychological distress and mental health might not be a predictor of at-risk drinking among older adults in the broader community. Rather, there is a growing body of research that suggests that motivations for at-risk drinking among samples of older adults in the community include enhancing social engagement and enjoyment (Dare et al, 2020;Immonen et al, 2011;Kelly et al, 2018), reducing boredom (Kuerbis et al, 2018) or it may simply be an entrenched and routine behaviour (Grønkjaer et al, 2020;Burruss et al, 2015). These variables were not measured in our study.…”

“…At-risk drinking among older Australians is influenced by a range of factors, including social and cultural norms relating to the acceptability of drinking in Australia (Dare et al, 2014a;Dare et al, 2020). Although older Australian men are still more likely than older Australian women to drink at levels that place them at-risk of short-term harm, there was nevertheless an increase in the rate of at-risk drinking among older Australian women aged 50-69 years, relative to their male peers, reported across five waves of the NDSHS from 2001 to 2013 (Livingston et al, 2018).…”

“…Another key determinant of alcohol use among many older adults is the degree to which drinking has become embedded in their everyday routines, particularly after retirement (Grønkjaer et al, 2020;Burruss et al, 2015). As with younger cohorts, alcohol is an integral feature of many older adults' social life and is viewed as synonymous with social engagement and enjoyment (Dare et al, 2020;Immonen et al, 2011;Kelly et al, 2018). Not surprisingly perhaps, more frequent opportunities for social engagementsuch as that which often occurs in retirement villageshave also been associated with more frequent alcohol consumption (Dare et al, 2014b;Burruss et al, 2015).…”

“…Where alcohol use is viewed as an enjoyable and normal part of life and an individual has good health, potential alcohol-related harms may be downplayed (Wilson et al, 2013). For example, qualitative research with older Australian and Danish women found that few considered their drinking was a health risk, despite 30% of the Australian sample drinking every day (Dare et al, 2020). Similarly, research in the UK led Wilson et al to suggest that continued heavy drinking could be construed "as normal behaviour for someone experiencing relative wellbeing in later life, or if their experience of ill health was construed as unrelated to alcohol consumption" (p. 7).…”

Managing older people’s perceptions of alcohol-related risk: a qualitative exploration in Northern English primary care

“…Ill health is a commonly reported context for decreased intake with age. 22,24,[41][42][43][44][45][46][47] Older people may be more likely to perceive alcohol as harmful to their health, and be open to contemplating changes in their drinking. Identifying alcohol as a cause of various symptoms of ill health converts abstract risks into reality.…”