FOR SURVIVORS, HEROIN ADDICTION CAN LAST LIFETIME

Most heroin addicts will try but fail to
kick their habit permanently, according to a report. Among those who
survive, addiction can linger into the 50s and 60s in many people who
start using the drug in their 20s.

And along the bumpy road to recovery many people will develop other
addictions, suffer from depression, anxiety or physical illness, and
engage in criminal behavior, according to Dr. Yih-Ing Hser and
colleagues from the University of California, Los Angeles.

The findings, published in the May 14th issue of the Archives of
General Psychiatry, ``suggest that drug abuse treatment programs
should focus more on incremental improvements in the lives of heroin
addicts, a more realistic goal than lifelong abstinence.''

The study looked at 581 male heroin addicts who took part in a
mandatory California drug-treatment program for criminal offenders who
were addicted to heroin from 1962 through 1964. The average age of the
group was just over 25 years and more than 60% of men began using
heroin before age 20.

The researchers interviewed the men at three points and found that 33
years later, when the men ranged from 50 to 60 years old, about half
of those still alive were still using heroin.

Nearly 14% of the original group had died by the mid-1970s and half
had died by 1996-1997, mostly from drug overdoses. The next most
common cause of death was chronic liver disease, and others died from
cancer, heart disease, suicide and AIDS.

Among those interviewed most recently, more than two-thirds smoked,
22% drank alcohol daily and many men continued to use drugs. For
instance, more than 40% said they had used heroin, about 35% said they
smoke marijuana and nearly 12% said they had used amphetamines in the
past year.

Overall, the group had high rates of physical and mental health
problems. Those who had abstained from heroin for at least 5 years
were less likely to become sick, engage in criminal behavior or suffer
from depression or anxiety. They were also more likely to be employed,
the investigators found.

``Our study results suggest that, at least for some individuals,
heroin addiction may be a lifelong condition,'' Hser and colleagues
conclude.

The authors add that drug-treatment programs need to address the needs
of older adults who have other addictions.