Forget the teenagers. It's boomers who behave as if we are invincible. Every day we jaywalk through our lives, taking proverbial shortcuts and being oblivious to the dangers that there just may be a Mack truck bearing down on us. The bottom line: Lifestyle choices we make are adversely impacting our health and well-being. And some of those dangers, experts say, are actually life-threatening.

Flip through our slideshow below for 10 easy ways to shorten your life.

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  • 1. Mix Alcohol And Sedatives.

    Mix prescription or illicit drugs with alcohol. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ann-brenoff/whitney-houston-prescription-drugs_b_1280439.html" target="_hplink">Even drinking wine with dinner and then taking prescription sleep aides can be a lethal combination</a>. A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study found 5.8 percent of people age 50 to 59 used illicit drugs in 2010, up from 2.7 percent in 2002.

  • 2. Never Check For Diabetes.

    The number of Americans with Type 2 diabetes is expected to rise from 30 million today to 46 million by 2030, when one of every four boomers -- 14 million -- will be living with this chronic disease, according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. <br /> <br />Untreated diabetes can lead to blindness, amputations and clogged arteries that can cause heart attacks and strokes. The test to determine whether you are diabetic is a simple blood test; you should remind your doctor to include it in your annual physical.

  • 3. Pack On The Pounds.

    More than one out of every three boomers -- more than 21 million -- will be considered obese by 2030. Already, we are the demographic with the highest and fastest-growing rate of obesity. As we age, our metabolism slow down and we burn fewer calories -- if we don't alter our eating and exercise patterns, weight gain is inevitable. Obesity can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and a host of other life-threatening ailments. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ann-brenoff/the-dieting-10-percent-club-losing-weight-after-50_b_1440729.html" target="_hplink">Losing just 10 percent of your body weight</a> has health benefits, so consider that as a goal.

  • 4. Ignore The Signs Of A Heart Attack.

    No chest pain doesn't mean no heart attack. <a href="http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/her-guide-to-a-heart-attack" target="_hplink">Women having heart attacks</a> frequently report experiencing a feeling of indigestion and extreme fatigue, while some men say they feel a fullness or a squeezing pain in the center of the chest, which may spread to the neck, shoulder or jaw. When a diabetic has a heart attack, the pain is often displaced to other areas such as the lower back.

  • 5. Get Minimal Sleep.

    Try as you might, you just can't stay asleep, right? You pass out before "60 Minutes" is over, but then wake up around midnight and count sheep until the alarm goes off. If that sounds like you, you aren't alone. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5842a2.htm" target="_hplink">boomers report not getting enough sleep between one and 13 nights each month</a>. <br /> <br />Is it life-threatening? In itself, no. But as soon as you slip behind the wheel bleary-eyed, you are putting yourself and others at risk. Your reflexes are slower, you pay less attention and you could become one of the more than 100,000 Americans who fall asleep at the wheel and crashes each year. And the <a href="http://drowsydriving.org/about/facts-and-stats/" target="_hplink">National Highway Traffic Safety Administration</a> says that's a conservative estimate, by the way. Driver fatigue results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses.

  • 6. Avoid Exercise.

    AARP says the minimum you need to stay healthy are muscle-strengthening exercises twice a week plus 2.5 hours a week of moderate activity like walking or 75 minutes a week of a more intense activity like jogging. Exercise is also good for your memory: Just one year of <a href="http://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-02-2011/keep_your_memory_strong_by_walking.html" target="_hplink">walking three times a week can increase the size of the hippocampus</a>, the part of the brain that's key to memory.

  • 7. Carry The World's Burdens On Your Shoulders.

    We're talking about stress with a capital S. Boomers are the sandwich generation, caught in the middle of caring for our parents and our children. We were deeply affected by the recession and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ann-brenoff/midlife-crisis-depression-is-ok-the-new-good_b_1470958.html" target="_hplink">boomers have the highest rates of depression</a> by age demographic. Unless we unload, we are going to implode.

  • 8. Carry A Beer Belly And A Caboose.

    It isn't just our extra weight; it's where we carry it. An excess of visceral fat causes our abdomens to protrude excessively. We call it a "pot belly" or "beer belly" or if the visceral fat is on our hips and buttocks, we say we are "apple shaped." Cute names aside, scientists now say that body fat, instead of body weight, is the key to evaluating obesity. And guess what? It's all bad.

  • 9. Continue To Smoke.

    <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/128183/smoking-age-baby-boomer-bulge.aspx" target="_hplink">Gallup found that baby boomers between the ages of 44 and 54 reported higher levels of smoking</a> than those immediately younger or those who are older. Hard to imagine that they haven't gotten the word yet about the risks cigarettes carry.

  • Drink Too Much.

    "Alcohol does all kinds of things in the body, and we're not fully aware of all its effects,"<a href="http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/alcohol-abuse/features/12-health-risks-of-chronic-heavy-drinking" target="_hplink"> James C. Garbutt, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine told WebMD</a>. "It's a pretty complicated little molecule." Among the risks of drinking too much: Higher risk of cancer, heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver, dementia, depression and high blood pressure. Drink in moderation: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/07/red-wine-benefits-anti-aging-tips_n_1475079.html" target="_hplink">Red wine, in particular, has been found to increase longevity</a>. The Mayo Clinic <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/red-wine/hb00089" target="_hplink">defines moderation as "an average of two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women</a>."