Addiction can happen to older people
Editor’s note: Because October is Alcohol Awareness Month, Dr. LeCrone’s columns will focus on the topic of substance abuse for the next few weeks..
Recently, I was presented with the following request:
Dear Dr. LeCrone: My husband retired about two years ago and things went pretty well for us for the first year and half or so. Joe (not his real name) was always a fairly moderate drinker, but about six or eight months ago he started having his first drink earlier and earlier in the day.
Now he may start with a couple of beers then moves on to happy hour at about 2 or 2:30 pm. He sleeps a lot more, complains about not feeling well and is cross and irritable most of the time.
The second part of his problem is probably worse. He experiences chronic pain from an old back injury. He used to take pain medication by prescription, only occasionally. He is now seeing three different doctors and has multiple pain medication prescriptions. He is using a lot of pillows now in addition to the alcohol. I am worried that he is headed for a real disaster.
He says he has the right to live his life as he sees fit and that people his age aren’t considered drug addicts and alcoholics.
Could you please discuss the subject of drug addiction in older people? – A Concerned Spouse
Dear Concerned: Substance use/abuse disorders in seniors is going to be of more and more concern as the percentage of those over age 55 begins to increase dramatically. Health care professionals recognize that the factors contributing to late onset abuse of alcohol and other drugs are often different from those found in early onset abuse.
Contributing factors may be:
• Increased physical health problems. Some of these problems may restrict physical activity, cause chronic pain or cause financial concerns.
• Retirement. Potential changes in the individual’s perception of his or her self-worth, constriction of relationships due to lack of opportunity to associate with co-workers, etc., boredom and excessive worry are all potential problems of retirees.
• Conflict within the spousal relationship. New and potentially uncomfortable patterns may form within the relationship due to changed roles and expectations produced by retirement.
• Economic worries and concerns. As an example of this type of concern, older people may ask questions such as: “Will I outlive what I have set aside for retirement or use up all my retirement money if; a catastrophic illness occurs?”
• Changes in living patterns. Relocating to a new, unfamiliar community, feeling “uprooted” from home and patterns of living that have existed for many years, are examples of these changes.
Seniors often encounter difficulty because of disturbances in sleep patterns, which can result in abuse of sleeping pills. Alcohol abuse can also intensify or produce symptoms of depression.
Your concern certainly seems justified and a thorough evaluation and possible treatment seems warranted. Since your husband may be reluctant to admit he has a problem, you may have to initiate first contact with a professional trained in substance abuse evaluation and treatment.
