Seniors Vets Women

Seniors and Drugs

LAB_OA_15235506 The baby boomers are coming! High rates of lifetime illegal drug use among the baby boom generation, people born between 1946 and 1964, suggest that the number of older adults using illegal drugs will increase in the next two decades. In fact, it has been predicted that by the year 2020, the number of persons needing treatment for a drug abuse and addiction will double among persons aged 50 or older.

In 2008, 4.3 million adults aged 50 or older, or 4.7% of adults in that age range, had used an illegal drug in the past year.
Between 2000 and 2008, substance abuse treatment admissions among those aged 50 and older increased by 70%, while the overall 50-plus population grew by only 21%.

FACT: 1 out of every 8 people seeking help for substance abuse, including illegal drugs, prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs (OTC) is over age 50.

Coping with an increase in addiction among older adults is a challenge that most aging people never thought they would have to face. Neither did their families. But, dealing with addiction among older adults requires our immediate attention.

Veterans and Drugs

The ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have placed an enormous strain on active duty military personnel, returning veterans, and their families. As a result of long and multiple deployments, exposure to combat, physical injuries, an increase in traumatic brain injury (TBI), as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), our veterans and their families have earned our respect and deserve our support.

According to a Department of Defense Health Behavior Survey, illegal drug use has declined, but prescription drug abuse and heavy alcohol use have increased.

FACT: Prescription drug abuse doubled among U.S. military personnel from 2002 to 2005 and almost tripled between 2005 and 2008.

In an attempt to respond to the needs of the men and women of our active duty military and returning veterans, “military doctors wrote almost 3.8 million prescriptions for pain relief medication for service members in 2009- four times more than the 866,773 doses handed out in 2001, according to data from the Pentagon health office.” (USA Today, March 17, 2010)

The article went on to say, “Our soldiers are coming back (from combat) wounded, sore, injured and in need of rehab.”

Women and Drugs

Marty Mann, NCADD’s founder, was the first woman to recover from alcoholism in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). As a result, NCADD has always been dedicated to increasing public awareness and support for women struggling with addiction to alcohol and drugs. Addiction does not discriminate between men and women.

Drug Addiction: Women vs. Men

Although there are many similarities between men and women when it comes to drug use and addiction, there are also many differences. Differences that are important to take into consideration both in understanding the addiction as well as in treating it.

Some of the differences for women center on the physical effects of addiction while others focus on how women relate to their families, their communities and their children. All of these factors can affect how women respond to treatment. Many of the symptoms of addiction for women tend to be “inner directed” including anxiety, shame, and depression. For men, the symptoms tend to be more visible and external — aggressive or drunk driving, fighting and assault. As a result, there is a need for, and benefit to, gender-specific services for women who also recognize the important role that trauma may play in her addiction, and as a result, in her recovery.