“Why Getting Older Means Drinking Less”

More bad news, as I age … Maybe I'll just have to practice more?

If you feel like you can’t drink the way you used to, you’re not alone. An aging body is more sensitive to alcohol than a younger one.

The reason is that older people metabolize alcohol more slowly, and they also have less water in their bodies. The result is that an adult who consumes just a few glasses of wine will have a higher percentage of alcohol in his or her blood than a younger person drinking the same thing. That’s why you may start feeling tipsy sooner after consuming alcohol, even if your drinking habits are the same as always.

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The National Institutes of Health site says that people over 65 shouldn’t consume more than seven drinks in a week, and that they should have no more than three drinks on a given day.