Study Shows Increase in Elderly Addictions

More people than ever are seeking treatment for help with their addictions; this is not surprising, with the state of the world what it is, that older Americans especially those faced with hardships would find treatment beneficial. In the past decade treatment was thought to be a place suited more to a younger generation. However, when times are hard in America there is a flux of older patients who decide they need help. The number of addicted older Americans has risen from 7 to 12 percent in the past decade, which would echo the idea that stress exacerbates addiction. The past decade in the United States has been harder than ever for some people; with that comes more drinking and more drugging.

More people over age fifty are entering treatment according to Dan Duncan with the local office of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. He says that alcohol is the most common but there are a number of people using drugs more; drugs such as sedatives, pain killers, and synthetic opiates like Oxycontin. Older Americans are prescribed medicine with ease, without considering the patient's addiction history. "Synthetic opiates that have become so popular, in terms of being prescribed by physicians for all sorts of maladies, have turned out to be issues for a lot of people because they can be highly addictive".

Some elderly people end up getting addicted while trying to deal with:

• loss issues
• death of a loved one
• decline in physical or mental capacity
• financial

There is no age restriction on addiction treatment and it has the ability to work for those people who choose to work it. It is a hard journey to recovery, as any addict would probably tell you, but it is never too late to help yourself - if you want it.

Note: Alcoholics Anonymous just celebrated 75 years of recovery!