Older women and alcohol

Over recent years much attention on alcohol has focused on younger people's drinking and in particular on binge drinking and anti-social behaviour in public spaces. When we think about the problematic use of alcohol we do not tend to think about older people, and alcohol use amongst older people is a neglected area in research, policy and practice. This chapter explores how older women talk about the place of alcohol in their lives drawing on a study which sought to understand people's life journeys as they get older, the kinds of issues they face, their problems and concerns and how alcohol may relate to these factors. We suggest that there are both problematic and positive aspects to older women's alcohol use which need to be understood within the relational contexts of their lives and gendered aspects of ageing.