Misuse of alcohol among older people receives a marginal amount of attention and is often described as a "hidden" field of health research, Alcohol Concern has announced today.

The agency on alcohol misuse expressed concern over the welfare of older people, stating that middle-aged people are likely to drink on a more regular basis than younger individuals.

27 per cent of men and 18 per cent of women aged between 45 and 64 drink on five or more days during the week.

Frank Soodeen, press and parliamentary officer for Alcohol Concern, said that it was vital for older people to address the fundamental problems that lie behind drinking due to stress.

"If you begin to find yourself drinking above the recommended limits in order to self-medicate, you may find the consequences in terms of lapsed concentration and productivity and damage to personal relationships only serve to compound the original problems."

The Department of Health advises that men should drink no more than three to four units of alcohol per day, while women should not drink more than two to three units per day.