In the belated spirit of St. Paddy’s Day, this week we’re talking about our drinking capacity, pattern, and preferences and how it diminishes and changes as we age (or as Shiv puts it, the trials and tribulations of an aging liver!).

Shiv - a prairie girl who has been drinking since the ripe old age of 18 - has definitely seen her taste in alcohol change, moving from mixed drinks and scotch in her youth and med school days to wine in her adulthood. And Sim, a fan of fruity cocktails, Peach Schnapps, and Long Island Ice Teas in her youth, has definitely noticed a clear change in both her drinking capacity and tastes (beer in her 20s and wine in her 30s).

We’ll also look at how drinking affects your sleep, regardless of age, and how as you age you aren’t able to metabolize your alcohol at the same rate as you could in your 20s (especially if you weren’t kind to your liver in your youth!). And how waking up with a hangover in your 40s is definitely not enjoyable anymore!

We’d love to hear how you handle drinking as you age, both in terms of how much you can consume and what you want to consume. And how well you handle those pesky hangovers (so not fun in our 40s!). And a very depressing study from the UK that said that if average alcohol consumption increased daily by one pint of beer that was equivalent to two years of aging in the brain. And how quality of life is so important as we age, drinking or not drinking. And fountains of youth (and they are coming!).

Shoot us a note at doesthismakemelookold@gmail.com anytime about this or anything else that’s on your mind. All input is welcome!