How just ONE drink a day beats depression in retirees and can help with social life

If you’re entering retirement and are tempted to pick up the odd glass of wine, try not to feel too bad about it.

That’s because drinking in moderation during this transitional period could actually help protect against depression, according to a study.

Researchers tracked more than 27,500 people across 14 years, recording their drinking habits as well as their health conditions.

They found that overall, retirees showed more signs of depression than those who were still working.

But analysis revealed that retirees who drank in moderation appeared to have fewer symptoms of depression than those who binged on alcohol or abstained completely.

Drinking in moderation was classed as having one to three drinks a day for women, and one to four for men.

Binge drinking, meanwhile, was classed as having four or more drinks per day for women, or five or more drinks per day for men.

The authors said moderate drinking may be linked with fewer depressive symptoms due to alcohol’s ability to lift mood through socialisation.

But they warned that they don’t advocate regularly having a drink or two to adjust to retirement.

Dr Antonia Diaz-Valdes, from Universidad Mayor in Chile, said: ‘Drinking alcohol increases the risk of falls and other injuries and can lead to dependency – and the poor health that typically comes with it.

‘There is no doubt that adjusting to retirement can be difficult for some but turning to alcohol is not the answer.’

Overall, the authors said it is vital that people are given support when they retire to prevent them from turning to heavy alcohol use to help them adjust to the change.

‘Providing alternative coping mechanisms to heavy alcohol consumption for retirees is crucial,’ Dr Christina Seller, from Simmons University in Boston, added.

The findings were published in the journal Aging and Mental Health.