Addiction is frequently considered a young person’s problem, but rates of substance misuse among adults over 50 are higher than ever, with substance use admissions among seniors doubling between 2000 and 2012. While we may not associate substance use with people who are old enough to be grandparents, it is important to remember that today’s elders may have once been the highly experimental hippies of the 1960s. Their views of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs may not have changed much as they aged.
At Carolina Dunes Behavioral Health in Leland, North Carolina, we treat seniors who are struggling with acute symptoms of substance abuse/dependence and provide support to their families.
Drugs Seniors Abuse Most
The most common drugs that elders misuse are:
- Alcohol
- Prescription medications including opiates and benzodiazepines
- Over-the-counter medications
- Marijuana
Substance Abuse Triggers in Seniors
Even if someone didn’t dabble in drugs when they were young, they may be drawn to substances as they age to find relief from some big changes that can be difficult to navigate:
- Retirement and loss of purpose they had from working
- Death of friends, family members, and significant others
- Loneliness and isolation
- Difficulty sleeping
- Family problems
- Worries about money
Sometimes, elders who are prescribed medications for physical health issues and chronic pain develop a dependence on these pharmaceuticals and begin to misuse them.
Risk Factors for Senior Substance Abuse
Anyone can struggle with addiction, but some people are at greater risk than others:
- Males
- White people
- People with higher income
- Widows, divorcees, and others who live alone
- People who were laid off or retired unexpectedly
- Chronic pain sufferers/people with disabilities
- People with a history of addiction or mental illness
Indications of Trouble
When a person is struggling with mental health or addiction, there are often signs that they need help. These may include:
- Isolation from loved ones
- Behavioral and mental changes
- Inappropriate verbalizations
- Seeming sad or low energy
- Aggression
- Disordered thinking
- Hallucinations or delusions
- Refusing medications
- Thoughts of suicide
- Changes in appearance and hygiene maintenance
- Changes in sleep patterns
Missed Signs
Substance misuse among seniors often goes unnoticed for a variety of reasons:
- Symptoms like memory loss or confusion may be written off as normal signs of aging rather than related to substance use.
- If the person is retired, they no longer have co-workers, customers, or a boss interacting with them daily and noticing concerning behavioral changes.
- If no one lives with them, it is easier to hide addiction from family and friends.
- Older adults may not seek out treatment, and their loved ones, doctors, and society as a whole often fail to recognize there could be a problem due to ageism.
- Misdiagnosis as dementia, anxiety, or depression may result in senior substance abuse going untreated.
- Because the drugs seniors use are often legally available and/or socially acceptable, problematic use is often not detected
Addiction-Related Issues Seniors Experience
Seniors can experience many of the same negative consequences from substance abuse that younger people do, but they are also at greater risk for some issues:
- Their substance use can worsen existing health conditions common among older adults worse, such as:
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Heart conditions
- Liver problems
- Osteoporosis
- Memory issues
- Mood disorders
- Adults over 65 use three times as many medications as people under 65, so their risk for drug interactions is higher.
- The aging process can also result in drugs like alcohol having stronger side effects and remaining in the body longer, which can lead to unexpected interactions with:
- Over-the-counter and prescription pain relievers
- Cold and allergy medications
- Sleeping pills
- Anxiety and depression medications
- Memory issues may lead to accidental misuse of medications.
- Because age causes bodies to become more fragile and prone to injury, impaired balance from substance use is more likely to result in fractures among seniors than among younger substance users.
Unique Barriers to Recovery
In addition to facing added dangers from addiction, seniors who struggle with substance use also experience barriers to recovery that are less common in younger people, such as:
- Lack of transportation
- Physical disabilities
- Decreased independence
This does not mean that recovery is impossible for older adults. Often, if a senior can acknowledge that their substance use is problematic, their outcomes are as good as or better than outcomes for younger people.
At Carolina Dunes Behavioral Health, located near Wilmington, North Carolina, we provide trauma-informed, evidence-based treatment for seniors whose mental health or substance use needs require 24-hour hospitalization. We offer medication management and education; individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy; and round-the-clock nursing support, care coordination, and discharge planning.
