Growing Substance Abuse Problems for the Over-50 Crowd

Baby boomers–roughly, the generation of Americans currently over 50–have sharply increased their rate of substance abuse. This is according to a report issued last week by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

According to Pamela S. Hyde, administration of SAMHSA, “The graying of drug users in America is an issue for programs and communities providing health or social services for seniors.”

The report provides plenty of evidence that drug abuse is indeed a growing problem for older Americans.

Between 1992 and 2008, the number of admissions for treatment for substance abuse among the over-50 population nearly doubled. Alcohol is still the top drug of choice, but abuse is also up sharply for illegal drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. Abuse of prescription drugs has also jumped.

Although treatment for alcohol abuse has declined somewhat (probably as a result of the shift toward other drugs), alcohol is still the top drug that leads older Americans to seek drug abuse treatment, accounting for almost 60% of admissions in 2008.

During the period for which admissions data were studied, the use of heroin more than doubled, and cocaine use quadrupled. The numbers of over-50 patients who sought treatment for drug abuse that involved combined use of alcohol and cocaine more than tripled.

Another important finding is that the number of older people who report that they only began using drugs later in life is growing. The most common drug for older people to begin abusing within five years of the time they sought help was cocaine. Prescription drug abuse was the second most common abuse problem for those who began their addictions later in life.

According to Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for Aging, the results of the report are worrisome. “A critical aspect of senior health is the ability to be free of alcohol and drug addiction,” Greenlee said. “This is a trend we must address for the benefit of each individual now as well as a generation of baby boomers on the doorstep of old age.”