This longitudinal study aimed to examine the pattern of alcohol consumption (using the AUDIT-C) among the oldest old (80+) and how it changed two years later. Five hundred seventy-six persons from the Gothenburg metropolitan area were interviewed between 2008 and 2011. Men represented a higher proportion of at-risk consumers (21.8%) than women (14.5%), but there was no sex difference in binge drinking (13.8% versus 12%). Men decreased their weekly consumption and also the proportion of binge drinking, and women decreased only in binge drinking. Further studies of the causality between alcohol consumption and health are suggested. 1. Introduction For several reasons older adults represent an important age-group to study in relation to alcohol consumption. This group is becoming larger with increasing life expectancy in the world [1] which makes it important to better understand their alcohol consumption pattern. However, little research into alcohol consumption among older adults has been done at community level, in particular among the oldest old specifically [2] until the early 21st century. There are official national guidelines for alcohol consumption [3], although to our knowledge only one official national guideline is for older adults exclusively [4]. The guidelines are also unclear as to the scientific data that support them. Most screening instruments are designed for general populations which may not be suitable for older adults [5]. Older adults are more often on medications compared to younger persons, which can cause problematic interactions with alcohol consumption [4, 6–8] and drinking has also been associated with forgetting to take the medicine [9]. The mixture of alcohol and medication may be rather prevalent. For instance, one study found 43% to 48% of the older adults 75+ to be on medication while consuming alcohol [2]. There are also other biological differences between older adults and the younger population. For instance, older adults metabolise alcohol slower [4, 6] and have lower body water content for the alcohol to be diluted in which generates a higher blood concentration of alcohol [4]. On the other hand, from a cohort study it has been suggested there are health benefits attributed to alcohol consumption in older adults [10]. Alcohol consumption and the relation with self-rated health among older adults are unclear. It has been found to be positive [11–13], but no association has also been found [9]. An association between alcohol consumption and depression was not found in one study [14] but negative associations were found
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