ABSTRACT. The aim of this research is to investigate the often assumed relation between alcohol use and depressive symptoms among older men and women. For this study, a subsample of 2,119 participants of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, aged 65 to 85 years at baseline, was followed over time and visited in their homes in 1992, 1995, 1998 and 2002. Depressive symptoms are assessed with the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Alcohol use is measured with questions about the frequency and quantities of alcohol use. A relation between depressive symptoms and alcohol use could not be demonstraded in a population based sample of older drinkers. Only older heavily drinking men with higher levels of depressive symptoms, higher levels of anxiety, and more chronic diseases at baseline significantly reduced the number of glasses consumed per week from 26 to 14 in the ten years of follow-up. Heavily drinking women do not reduce the level of alcohol intake during follow-up. Public prevention strategies are needed to make older heavy drinking women and men who are still in relatively good health aware of the potential risks of excessive alcohol use.
