Health

Nation's Addicts Are Getting Older

By Buddy T, About.com GuideJuly 14, 2010

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As more Baby Boomers move into the over 50 years of age category, the average age of Americans seeking treatment for substance abuse is continuing to increase. In fact, from 1992 to 2008, admissions for substance abuse for older patients has nearly doubled, according to the latest government figures.

Those 50 or older seeking treatment went from 6.6% in 1992 to 12.2% in 2008.

Although alcohol remains the main reason that the older group decides to seek treatment, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) study shows that the number of older Americans seeking treatment for the use of illicit drugs has increased dramatically.

Older Drug Addicts

The SAMHSA study of treatment admissions between 1992 and 2008 found that:

Heroin abuse more than doubled -- from 7.2 percent to 16.0 percent.
Cocaine abuse quadrupled -- from 2.9 percent to 11.4 percent.
Prescription drug abuse rose from 0.7 percent to 3.5 percent.
Marijuana abuse increased from 0.6 percent to 2.9 percent.

It's getting less common for older adults to seek treatment for alcohol abuse alone. During the same time period, admissions for primarily alcoholism dropped from 84.6% to only 59.9% in the over-50 group.

At the same time, the percentage of older adults seeking treatment for multiple substance abuse disorders nearly tripled from 13.7% to 39.7%, the report said.

SAMHSA officials said the aging of drug users is a "troubling" issue in terms of healthcare and will need to be addressed as more Baby Boomers begin to reach old age.