Addiction Has No Boundaries

I come from two very distinct sides of my family, one group drank—the other had a glass of wine with Sunday dinner...oh so very normal. One grandfather was a boozer, as were two out of his three children. It was hush-hush when the grand kids were around and the ‘issue’ nobody talked about. I heard the term alcoholic every once in a while but it was a word I didn’t understand. I remember feeling shame hearing that word “alcoholic’ spoken out loud. Though it’s no surprise which side of the family I favored.

There is no age criterion to meet when it comes to suffering from the disease of addiction. But often times people don’t start drinking out of control or have a dependency on medications until mid-life. For many it happens in their “senior years”. Addiction in the older generations can be difficult to identify and treat.

Tragic life events seem to happen more frequently as we age, be it the loss of a spouse, partner, failing health or what to do after retirement.  These situations can often create depression and grief, which in turn can lead to drinking and using. The denial is the same.

Most addicts refuse to accept one’s addiction no matter what their age. Luckily I happened to realize the truth about myself in my thirties and entered into recovery.

Kathleen Parrish, Clinical Director at Cottonwood de Tucson, discusses the reality about Aging and Addiction in her cover article this month. Estimates by various researchers indicate easily 10% and even far closer to 20% of today’s 55-79 year age bracket suffer from active addiction.

Alcohol is most common, followed by prescription medications such as narcotic pain pills and anti-anxiety medications. But hard-core drugs such as cocaine and heroin are also seen, and are surprisingly common in today’s seniors.  Perhaps this should not be surprising since the Boomer Generation are in fact today’s seniors, or soon will be.

I encourage you to carefully read Kathleen’s article and save it to share with your elderly loved ones, be they your parents, in-laws, family or friends.  It’s our intent this month to educate our readers that addiction has no age bracket constraints, no one is immune and we must be constantly vigilant of this fact.

Anyone who is facing an older adult’s alcohol or medication dependence must begin by separating facts from fiction, identifying the myths and replacing them with truth.

Don’t miss Bobbe McGinley’s column this month as she takes a look at another senior problem that’s growing in the Valley—seniors and gambling.

Learn what  you can with the help of a professional. When everyone is committed to educating themselves about older adults and addiction, it is easier to make well-informed, family decisions.

Save the Date - 9-20-08