FOR AGING DRUG USERS, IT'S HARD TO KICK THE HABITS

As Baby Boomers Get Older, More of Them Are Seeking Help For
Addiction to Illegal Drugs.

It's the generation that came of age in the permissive 1960s and
'70s, part of the counterculture revolution that embraced the mantra
"turn on, tune in, drop out."

Now they are graying -- but some are still having a hard time
breaking away from or resisting marijuana, cocaine and other illegal drugs.

A national drug survey by the federal government, for example, has
found that between 2002 and 2005, use of illegal drugs fell 15
percent among teenagers, but increased 63 percent among people in their 50s.

"The good news is that they may seek us out -- heck, they're already
beginning to," said Dr. Marvin Seppala, medical director at
Minnesota's premier treatment center, the Hazelden Foundation near
Center City. "The bad news is I'm not sure we're ready for them."

For older Minnesotans, the roads to drug abuse vary: It's a longtime
habit they can't shake. Or a step they take to ease the loneliness,
boredom or physical pain old age that can bring

In Minnesota, treatment for illegal drug use among baby boomers --
born between 1946 and 1964 -- rose 5 percent. For those older than
that, it rose 17 percent.

Among those who started using illegal drugs years ago, "some did
well in life, some not so well," said Minneapolis drug counselor
Judie Heckenliable. "But now they're aging."

'A Buffet of Drugs'

As a college student in Iowa in the early 1970s, Ava majored in
"sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll -- especially drugs."Pot has been my
friend, my good buddy since I was 16," she said. "When I'm using, I
like the way it makes me feel, relaxed, content, happy. Maybe
too relaxed. When I'm not using, I realize that's one reason I'm
essentially poor."

Like other illegal-drug users interviewed for this article, Ava
doesn't want her neighbors to know of her drug use, and realizes she
could be arrested. She agreed to describe her life only if she were
not fully identified.

"I used to think this was a victimless crime, but it's not. I'm a
victim," she said. "They say you don't really get hooked on pot, not
like on meth or heroin. But I know I'm addicted."

Marijuana has been her mainstay through the years, but she tried "a
buffet of drugs" while in college. She quickly learned to avoid
mescaline, LSD, even alcohol because they made her feel out of
control or depressed.

Divorced, she moved from the Twin Cities several years ago to escape
easy access to marijuana and to build a new life.

It's A Work in Progress

"I'm poor and I hate it. Some days I feel suicidal, like I'll never
get out of this," Ava said. "I don't like being this stereotype of a
pot-smoking grandma. But smoking helps me forget for a while."

On many days she'd like to quit. "Right now I've been out of pot for
a couple days and I'm OK," she said. "But before Christmas, I'm
driving in to see my dealer in the Cities. He gives me credit."

Loneliness and Pain

Like most people in treatment, older drug abusers rarely seek help
on their own.

Counselors say they often are being led into treatment by their
adult children, who sometimes demand they get clean before they can
see grandchildren.

"Some are aging hippies who never stopped using alcohol, marijuana
and other drugs. Some got into recreational use of cocaine or crack
or meth later in life," said Heckenliable, lead counselor at
Fairview-University Medical Center's chemical dependency program.
"And some started using as a way of self-medicating, to erase
emotional or physical pain."

Retired people living alone are especially vulnerable because
they've lost their normal behavior regulators, she said. "They no
longer have the job, they may have lost a spouse and friends, and
they can become lonely and depressed."

Fairview offers six residential groups for alcoholics and other drug
users. Counselor Lou Bardal leads one group for about a dozen people
age 55 and older -- the only such residential group in the state.
It's not cheap, about $9,400 for the 20-day program, usually paid
by insurance or Medicaid.

"Alcohol is the primary drug of choice, but we see everything," said
Bardal, who has led the seniors program for eight years.

Bardal and Heckenliable have counseled scores of older addicts, some
several times.

Specialized Treatment

Programs such as Fairview's are rare, said Seppala, Hazelden's
medical director. "The treatment can be very effective, but the sad
thing is, there are very few treatment programs geared to work with
older people."

Counselors deal with older addicts differently than younger ones, he
said. The recovery goes at a slower pace for older people, and often
includes psychological and medical help. Hazelden may start
specialized residential treatment in Florida for older people, a
service it offered through the Hanley Center in Florida until they
severed their relationship a few years ago.

"For older people, treatment works best when it's in a medical
setting -- like Fairview offers -- because older people often have
complicating medical and mental health issues," Seppala said.

"The thing is, we've got a big chunk of baby boomers coming down the
age pipeline, and we need to start paying more attention," he said.
"Even if the rates of addiction weren't rising in that group, the
sheer numbers tell us that a bunch of them will be asking for help."

But not 54-year-old Charlie, a southern Minnesota factory worker who
said he smokes a few joints nearly every night, with the "very rare
recreational hit" of meth, PCP or some other illegal drug.

"I've smoked pot since I was 14, and I lead a good life," he said.
"But I'm careful. I don't work or drive when I smoke. I want to keep
my job and my license.

"I used to party a lot, drugs and alcohol. I don't do that anymore.
Now me and the wife just smoke a little weed," he said. "Getting
older, I've gotten a little wiser about drugs."