SUBSTANCE ABUSE SPREADING AMONG SENIOR CITIZENS

Treatment Centers Finding More Cases Of Illicit Drug Use

For "John," the wake-up call about his problem with alcohol came after a
heart operation earlier this year.

Medical examiners had asked him about his alcohol use, and John said he had
denied the existence of a problem -- he had always been able to stop
drinking before.

Then he thought about what he had said: "I had always been able to stop
before." But if he had always been able to stop, why was he still drinking?

So, at the age of 72, John decided to get help, and began treatment almost
a month ago for his abuse of alcohol at Cornerstone Recovery Services.

John is part of what the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration is calling a "silent epidemic" of substance abuse that
affects 17 percent of the nation's senior citizens. According to SAMHSA
data, patients aged 51 and older accounted for 8 percent of the total
206,212 substance abuse treatment admissions for New York state in 2001.

SAMHSA statistics show seniors make up a large percentage of those treated
for abuse of some substances. Older adults represent 33.4 percent of all
patients treated for alcohol abuse, 38.4 percent of those treated for abuse
of tranquilizers, and 28.3 percent of those treated for sedatives.

Al Alfaro, an elder abuse/ recovery counselor at Cornerstone, said illicit
drug use among older adults is an issue that has not been well-addressed.
He said the problem is growing because baby boomers, many of whom
experimented with drugs, are just beginning to retire.

Alfaro's goal at Cornerstone is to create a substance abuse treatment
program that is geared for older adults. He recently created an adult
wellness circle, and he hopes to begin making home visits and outreach
trips to adult communities and to set up a special 12-week program for
rehabilitation.

When they receive treatment, 70 percent of older adults do rehabilitate,
Alfaro said, which is high compared to the general population. He credits
the high numbers, in part, to the vast support system and resources --
including family, friends, treatment programs and government resources --
available to them.

"There's a network out there ... that is very successful," Alfaro said.

Silence

Drug abuse in older adults is a silent epidemic because the problem is not
often addressed, Alfaro said. Older adults weren't brought up to talk about
problems outside their families, and so feel the stigma of abuse should not
be shared.

Other people sometimes don't see the signs because the symptoms of drug
abuse can easily be confused with symptoms of other diseases. Even injuries
from substance abuse, such as a fall, can be chalked up to frailty.

Though health care providers may suspect a deeper problem, they don't
always do the necessary digging, Alfaro said.

"A lot of health care providers don't get training in substance abuse," he
said.

But many times, caregivers and other people don't see the signs because
they don't want to, Alfaro said. They don't want to embarrass the person or
admit that drug abuse knows no age limit.

SAMHSA data indicates there are also a few age-related bodily changes that
significantly affect the way older adults metabolize alcohol and other
drugs, which can change tolerance levels and lead to addiction.

Life changes

Alfaro said many adults turn to drugs to deal with the isolation and
depression caused by many occurrences typical of later life.

Reasons for turning to drug use later in life revolve around losses -- loss
of a spouse, loss of direction and structure through retirement, loss of
independence through moving into an adult community or facility, and loss
of respect in family relationships.

Loss of a spouse is the biggest catalyst, Alfaro said.

"All of a sudden, they're alone," he said.

John said two separate triggers tied him into his alcoholism. The first was
alcohol as part of "the good life," John said. As a scientist who traveled
to different parts of the globe, John got used to drinking socially at age 30.

"It's always easier to have another glass than to have a final glass," he said.

Then, several years later, John experienced a family tragedy that set off
his second trigger --drinking to numb pain.

"Something in you or in your life hurts, and you can't fix it," he said.
"That's when you reach for the bottle. You use a drug to make life less
miserable."

Despite his reasons to drink, John said he has never been interested in
trying any other drugs.

"I would not dare to take drugs," he said. "I sometimes think I'm the only
professor of my generation who hasn't smoked pot."

John said he has also been lucky enough to have his addiction not greatly
affect either his work or his family.

"I've never lost my family, even though I'm sure I have given them a hard
time," John said. "It's not just the victim that suffers. It's the people
around them."

Alfaro and Terry A. Beckley, outreach program coordinator for Ithaca
College's Gerontology Institute, predict that illicit drug abuse among
older adults will become a bigger problem over time as the elder population
gets larger.

"As the 'flower children,' 'hippies' and the 'love generation' reach older
adulthood, I believe caregivers are going to be facing a lot of drug use
and abuse issues."

"John" is not the subject's real name. He requested to remain anonymous to
protect himself and his family from the negative stigma that comes with
addiction.