The Problem Of Elderly Substance Abuse - 1490 Words

People are often surprised to learn that elderly people abuse drugs and alcohol at extremely high rates. In fact, elderly substance abuse has become something of an unknown epidemic in the country, impacting an ever-increasing number of people. Sadly, this problem is often ignored or misunderstood and elderly people with addictions rarely get the help they need. Hopefully this problem changes for the good before it changes for the bad. Until then, it s worth knowing more about it, including the severity of its impact and where it originates. In this way, you can make an informed decision on treatment, whether for yourself or a loved one. The Impact Is Shockingly Huge Elderly addiction is a complex problem and one that has devastated a†¦show more content†¦As a result, an increasing number of seniors (who may already be suffering from physical and mental health problems and who may be on a fixed budget) are becoming addicted to the medicines that were supposed to help them. Addiction to prescription medication is an often poorly understood problem and one that can quickly tear a person s life and health to shreds. Those are just the two most common substance abuse problems in the elderly. Elderly people also suffer from addiction to cocaine, heroin, morphine, marijuana, and many other substances. Medical marijuana use has become increasingly common in elderly people. This is understandable for people who have severe pain, but the use of more serious substances is problematic in the elderly. The heart of an older person is likely to give out more quickly when they use cocaine, even if they re a regular user. The Influences On This Epidemic What is causing this high rate of addiction in the elderly population? Primarily, it seems, depression and anxiety. One study found that 63 percent of elderly people that abused drugs said that their use was influenced by these twin totems of mental health disorder. These feelings were related to the realities of aging, such as physical pain, loss of friends and family, and problems with financial stability. That s why it s not too shocking that an additional 30 percent said that financial problems influenced