[Alcohol dependence]

The proportion of alcoholic patients aged 60 years or older is about 25% of the patients who visit medical institutions specializing in alcohol-related problems, and this rate has tended to increase gradually. Alcohol-use disorders among elderly people are frequently underdetected, but the Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test-Geriatric Version (SMAST-G) is reported to be a valid screening tool for elderly people. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms among the elderly are not conspicuous since comorbidities, such as amnesic syndrome and cancer, are more common in the elderly than among younger patients. Elderly alcoholics have better treatment outcomes than younger alcoholics, with a higher abstinent rate and a lower recurrence rate.