When asked to visualize a typical drug addict, people often imagine some misguided Millennial, glass-eyed and needle-scarred, wasting her youth and her body in an ignominious alley. Or they may picture an unkempt bum, swaddled in a mishmash of mismatched rags, swaying and slurring as he panhandles on a downtown sidewalk. They may think of an unfortunate veteran who never really made it back from the war, a musclebound thug covered in gang ink, or a greasy conman slithering in a smoke-damp barroom. Despite the fact that addiction does not discriminate, stereotypes remain.
In part because these stereotypes are so persistent, few people associate drug addiction with their grandparents. Nevertheless, statistics show senior citizens becoming addicted to anti-anxiety medications and opioids at an alarming rate. A study conducted by the Administration on Aging predicted a 100% increase in the misuse of prescription drugs by older Americans by 2020.
How did pain pills and benzodiazepines become trending drugs in the US, and why are seniors misusing them? An investigation by USA Today indicated that a combination of over-medication on the part of doctors and increased health problems among the elderly were major contributing factors. On the one hand, senior citizens undergo more surgeries and struggle with more anxiety disorders than the rest of the population. On the other hand, some doctors seem entirely too willing to rely on frequently abused prescription medications to treat these patients’ ailments. In the last five years, opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions for people 65 and older have risen by 20 and 12%, respectively, according to USA Today’s findings.
Another part of the problem may stem from the fact that Baby Boomers comprise much of today’s senior-citizen population. The Boomers’ proclivity for drug use in the 1960s and ‘70s may have predisposed many of them to drug-seeking behavior in their later years. Moreover, groups such as the Administration on Aging and The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence agree that doctors are more willing to write prescriptions – including prescriptions for controlled substances – for older patients.
Fortunately, treatment is available for seniors who struggle with substance abuse: Some rehabilitation centers focus on or work exclusively with the elderly population. Open communication and drug screening can help seniors and their families to identify the problem and find the help they need.