The Problem Of Elderly Substance Abuse

Alcohol use is a common use during adolescence and elderly in the United States. Some individuals may starts alcohol consumption earlier in childhood. It is known that most college-aged students drink more heavily because they want to do what they friend do. More adolescents drink alcohol and used drugs when social events, peer pressure and want to impress a popular group. Later there had been a lot of alcohol, binge drinking in this society. The dangers of drink among elderly and adolescence is have a motor vehicle crash. It have been known that car crashes is the main cause of death among drug and alcohol user Some life stress plays a part that can cause the influence of alcohol abuse, among adolescence. Their parents can help by monitoring

The use of prescription drugs is another gray area because it might be beneficial for the elders to take the legal drugs for their medical issues. However, they are often not concerned about their ability to become addicted to these drugs. They only focus on the relief that the drugs are offering them.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the level of substance abuse in the elderly community. There is concern that as the population ages in the United States, there will be a significant increase in the number of older adults being treated for substance abuse problems. This paper seeks to understand the issues and concerns that are consequently involved with substance abuse among the elderly.

Millions of people throughout the world are taking drugs on a daily basis. If you were to ask someone why they take prescription drugs, most people would be taking them for the right reason. However, it’s estimated that twenty percent of people in the United States alone have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons.1 Prescription drug abuse is a serious and growing problem that often goes unnoticed. Abusing these drugs can often lead to addiction and even death. You can develop an addiction to certain drugs that may include: narcotic painkillers, sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants.1 Prescription drugs are the most common abused category of drugs, right next to marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and

Unfortunately, elderly populations seem to be far more displaced in our society than most of us are aware. Concerns of who or how they will be cared for when they can no longer care for themselves properly are always highly stressed, but drug abuse and misuse are

Substance abuse in the elderly exists just as in any other population. Many seniors develop substance abuse problems due to circumstances or situations due to the aging process. A report by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration indicates that 17% of adults age 60 and older are affected by alcohol abuse and abuse of legal drugs.

One population that is often overlooked when examining addiction is the elderly. In reality, alcoholism

According to an article written by Anna Gorman of Health Leaders Media, the use of prescription drugs is a growing concern. The article mentions Lola Cal, a patient in a geriatric unit in Santa Monica, California whose medical records show that she is on 36 different medications. Although people born from 1946 to 1964, known as the baby boomer generation, only make up 16% of the U. S. population, this generation accounts for one-third of prescription drug use. Many elderly patients take several medications to treat chronic illnesses and raise their chances for serious side effects and dangerous drug interactions. Dr. Maristela Garcia, director of the inpatient geriatric unit at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica states that polypharmacy is “America’s other drug problem.

The issue of substance misuse and abuse among the elderly population is complex. The elderly rarely use alcohol or drugs to get high rather drug or alcohol use that begins after age 60 appears fundamentally different (Culberson & Ziska 2008). The elderly sometimes turn to alcohol and drugs to alleviate the physical and psychological pain from the onslaught of medical and psychiatric illness, the loss of loved ones or social isolation (Culberson & Ziska 2008). Elderly patients have a combination of and functional and social habits that support substance use. As adults age, they are often unable to do the social things they have been accustomed to. This is when many elderly persons begin to display problems doing the tasks of daily life. The option of taking a pill with the promise that it will aid in living independently is often a viable option for the elderly. This desire to remain independent is an important part in the complex treatment plan that is established when it comes to assisting an elderly patient who is abusing his or her medication.

In order to reduce this potential negative inevitability, closer attention must be dedicated to current elder substance abuse. The issue of substance abuse by this elderly population is a problem that will potentially affect many segments of society. Not only is there a critical need for clinicians to develop skills and strategies necessary to deal with the range of issues that can influence substance abuse

As we read through this literature review, we will outline some of the findings from the most recent research from 2010-2015. The focus is on aging adults and substance abuse in the United States. The use of alcohol, and prescription medications among this population, also known as the “Baby Boomers” is a major concern. One focus will be on the prevalence of substance abuse (alcohol and prescription use) and the consequences both mentally and physically. Being apart of the aging population and substance abuse this can lead to misdiagnosing and treating substance abuse among the elderly.

(Basca, 2008 & Rothrauff, 2004). Symptoms such as confusion and cognitive decline that are sometimes seen in aging adults are often seen in those with SUDs.

The older population, according the US Census Bureau (2015) reports, individuals ages 65 and older make up 8.5% of the global population. In other words, the older population now equals 617 million, and subsequently will experience an expected rise within the next ten years, resulting in an increase of roughly 236 million people aged 65 and older throughout the world. Therefore, as our elderly population increases, so will the substance use epidemic. Currently the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2016) states, an estimated 8 million alcoholics are seniors, and often to referred as the invisible “silent epidemic.” With numbers such as, 15% >65 at risk for alcohol dependency, this worldwide crisis needs to be irradiated.

Working in the substance abuse field I’ve seen and increase in prescription drug abuse among all ages. Recently, Methadone,

Substance abuse on older adults has much graver consequences to their well-being due to age-related health problems (Kalapatapu & Sullivan, 2010) and physiological changes such as: