Pain and Use of Alcohol in Later Life: Prospective Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

Objective: To determine whether (a) late-life pain predicts growth in older adults’ use of alcohol, and elevated risk of drinking problems; and (b) sociodemographic characteristics moderate these relationships. Method: Five times over an 8-year interval, N = 5,446 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) participants provided information about their pain and alcohol use. Two-part latent growth modeling and logistic regression were used to analyze these data. Results: Participants with more pain at baseline had lower initial levels and a faster rate of decline over the next 8 years in alcohol consumption, but they also were at elevated risk of having drinking problems. Income and African American background interacted with pain to predict 8-year change in alcohol consumption and presence of drinking problems. Discussion: Late-life pain does not predict growth in older adults’ alcohol consumption, but is nonetheless linked to elevated risk of drinking problems, especially among African Americans.