Substance Abuse and Aging, Part I

A reader recently posed the following question:

Dear Dr. LeCrone,
My father retired three years ago after developing several medical problems some of which resulted in chronic pain, and then, about a year ago, my mother died after a long illness. Pain, boredom, loneliness, and prolonged grief are now the constant companions of my father and he has started drinking too much alcohol on a regular basis. Recently, he tripped and fell after a “bout with the bottle” as he calls it, and this accident resulted in a broken wrist and multiple cuts and bruises. His doctor told him that he needed to get help for his alcohol problem and labeled my dad’s drinking as “late-onset alcohol abuse.” Can you address this problem in your newspaper column?

Dear Reader,

Late onset alcohol abuse occurs in about one third of older alcohol abusers. This group of alcohol and/or other types of drug abusers often begins substance abuse in their later years of life in an attempt to relieve problems such as pain, grief, or depression. They frequently feel without purpose and significance and look to the future feeling hopelessness. Many of these older adults live alone so the alcohol abuse goes unnoticed by family members.

Even with awareness of the substance abuse problem, relatives and friends often wait for their older loved ones to “hit bottom” before doing anything, and their inaction may result in serious injury or even death to their loved ones.

Alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence and other hazardous patterns of drinking are often complicated by the interaction of prescribed medication and the older person’s abuse of alcohol. This combination can have serious negative consequences including death.

Many authorities consider one drink per day to be the maximum amount for “moderate” alcohol use in men and women over 65 years of age. The equivalent of 0.5 ounces of alcohol is considered one drink: approximately 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, 12 ounces of beer or 5 ounces of wine.

An estimated 25 percent of adults in the United States either report drinking patterns that put them at risk for developing alcohol problems or currently have alcohol-related problems, including alcohol abuse or dependence. Approximately two-thirds of older adults with alcohol problems develop these problems at an earlier age.

In next week’s column, I will continue my discussion of substance abuse and aging and provide further information for those needing help.