4 ms·

It's revealed at the end of this article (published today, March 30, 2024) that the subject of the article died in a memory care facility in... 2017. His son,

It's revealed at the end of this article (published today, March 30, 2024) that the subject of the article died in a memory care facility in... 2017. His son, in a blog post easily Googled using the names in the article, indicates that his father had been in a facility to treat his Alzheimer's (and, we assume, as the article states, free from alcohol) since 2011 - and had likely not had a sip of alcohol since that time, over 12 years ago. (The article itself indicates that the son has been free from alcohol since hearing about his father's initial hospitalization 13 years ago.) Alcohol abuse is a real thing, but this is some seriously bad reporting that does not seem to have much to do with the specific state of things in 2024.

ahahahahah 3y ago
What a weird comment. Yes, the article is mostly talking about how this is a trend that's been building over the last 25 years or so. Most of the specific research it cites is from pre 2020. It's like you are arguing against some imaginary article that claims to be talking about things specific to the last few years when the main point of the article is completely not that. I mean even the subtitle describes that: "The pandemic played a role in increased consumption, but alcohol use among people 65 and older was climbing even before 2020"
- iwanttocomment 3y ago
  The word "are" is used, both generally and in the headline, to indicate the present tense. Similarly, the gerund "drinking" is a present participle. The article isn't titled "Why Do Older Americans Drink So Much?" and if it were, leading and focusing on a story from many years ago would not seem nearly as odd. Similarly, I'm quite sure they could find plenty of anecdotes about older Americans who currently drink too much that would better match the headline as written. As it stands, it's incongruous and misleading in a strange or perhaps lazy way.

ahahahahah 3y ago

What a weird comment. Yes, the article is mostly talking about how this is a trend that's been building over the last 25 years or so. Most of the specific research it cites is from pre 2020. It's like you are arguing against some imaginary article that claims to be talking about things specific to the last few years when the main point of the article is completely not that. I mean even the subtitle describes that: "The pandemic played a role in increased consumption, but alcohol use among people 65 and older was climbing even before 2020"

iwanttocomment 3y ago
The word "are" is used, both generally and in the headline, to indicate the present tense. Similarly, the gerund "drinking" is a present participle. The article isn't titled "Why Do Older Americans Drink So Much?" and if it were, leading and focusing on a story from many years ago would not seem nearly as odd. Similarly, I'm quite sure they could find plenty of anecdotes about older Americans who currently drink too much that would better match the headline as written. As it stands, it's incongruous and misleading in a strange or perhaps lazy way.