Baby Boomers Still Doing Drugs as Seniors
Need for substance abuse treatment could double by 2020, report shows
By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Jan. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Almost 5 percent of aging Baby Boomers in the United States are abusing drugs, a new government report shows.

That's about 4.3 million adults over the age of 50 who are smoking marijuana, abusing prescription medication and engaging in other illicit drug activity -- a number that far exceeds that of their parents' generation.

"This is becoming more and more apparent in practice," said Dr. Ihsan M. Salloum, chief of the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse: Treatment and Research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. "You have both prescription drugs being used that people can become addicted to and also people who have had a pattern of use from before."

The driving force behind the trend, said Peter Delaney, director of the Office of Applied Studies at the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is people who used drugs when they were younger and never really stopped.

This is, after all, the era of the Rolling Stones as senior citizens.

The projected increase in the number of older drug abusers is expected to double the demand for treatment services by 2020, the report stated.

The report, based on data collected during 2006-08 from almost 20,000 U.S. adults born between 1946 and 1964, found that more men are smoking marijuana than are abusing prescription drugs (4.2 percent vs. 2.3 percent). About the same proportion of women engage in both behaviors (hovering near 2 percent).

Many more men aged 50 to 54 acknowledged using marijuana in the previous year than women (8.5 percent vs. 3.9 percent).

Pot smoking was more prevalent among the younger end of the spectrum (those aged 50 to 59), while prescription drug abuse was more common in the older age bracket (aged 65 and up).

Less than 1 percent of older adults said they had used drugs other than pot or prescription-like medications, including 0.5 percent for cocaine, 0.1 percent for hallucinogens and 0.1 percent for heroin.

In the period 2002-06, the annual average number of people over the age of 50 using illicit drugs was 2.8 million.

Although "harder" drugs such as crystal meth and cocaine aren't the main offenders in this demographic, drug use among older, generally more frail, individuals does bring special concerns.

"This population tends to have other health problems, especially chronic health problems," Delaney explained. "And as we age we don't metabolize drugs the same way."

Also, older people with a substance-abuse diagnosis are much more at risk of suicide, said Dr. David Schlager, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and a psychiatrist with Lone Star Circle of Care, which has health clinics throughout Texas.

Finding appropriate treatments for this group adds more potential complications.

"We don't really have data and research for the most effective treatments for older individuals," said Jeffrey Parsons, chair of psychology at Hunter College in New York City. "Are existing programs effective or do we need to start from scratch?"

And the two different groups of older drug users -- those with new addictions and those with long-term issues -- may need different treatments, he added.

Not to mention the inherent limitations in drug abuse treatment and services as they currently stand. "The treatment is not terrible advanced," Schlager noted.

On the other hand, Schlager said, Baby Boomers may be in a better position both to access what services there are and to pay for them.

More information

Visit the U.S. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration for more on this problem.


SOURCES: Jeffrey T. Parsons, Ph.D., professor and chair, psychology, Hunter College, New York City; Ihsan M. Salloum, M.D., professor, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and chief, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse: Treatment and Research, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; David Schlager, M.D., clinical assistant professor, psychiatry and behavioral science, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, and psychiatrist, Lone Star Circle of Care; Peter J. Delaney, Ph.D., director, Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

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Hrm.. Dunno.. Wonder if the article author are updated on what the Stones are now.

And please no funny follow-up comments on Ronnie now; huh!

kris kristofferson said it best 4 decades ago

so now i know who to blame for my degenerate behavior .all this time i thought it was me jeez

Quote
StonesTod
kris kristofferson said it best 4 decades ago

You beat me to it.

In many countries in Europe marihuana is as legal as alcohol - how do you count that ?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-01-08 19:52 by wolfi.

'Scuse my ignorance but what did kris kristofferson say 4 decades ago?

NickB

You can't always get what you want.....

www.myspace.com/thesonkings

"Blame It On The Stones"

chorus sung to the spiritual tune, bringing in the sheaves:

Mister Marvin Middle Class is really in a stew
Wond'rin' what the younger generation's coming to
And the taste of his martini doesn't please his bitter tongue
Blame it on the Rolling Stones.

Blame it on the Stones; blame it on the Stones
You'll feel so much better, knowing you don't stand alone
Join the accusation; save the bleeding nation
Get it off your shoulders; blame it on the Stones

Mother tells the ladies at the bridge club every day
Of the rising price of tranquilizers she must pay
And she wonders why the children never seem to stay at home
Blame it on the Rolling Stones.

Blame it on the Stones; Blame it on the Stones
You'll feel so much better, knowing you don't stand alone
Join the accusation; save the bleeding nation
Get it off your shoulders; blame it on the Stones

Father's at the office, nightly working all the time
Trying to make the secretary change her little mind
And it bothers him to read about so many broken homes
Blame it on those Rolling Stones.

Blame it on the Stones; Blame it on the Stones
You'll feel so much better knowing you don't stand alone
Join the accusation; same the bleeding nation
Get it off your shoulders; blame it on the Stones

Blame it on the stones, blame it on the stones.