By: Carolyn RosenblattIn the psychedelic '60′s, it seemed everyone was "turning on". No one worried about using marijuana or other drugs, as it seemed everyone was doing it.
Now, many those who came of age in that era are facing a real and rising problem of substance abuse. How big of a problem is this?
The National Institutes of Health became so concerned about the increasing numbers of boomer addicts that it issued a consumer alert this year, its first, on prescription and illicit drug abuse signs and dangers on its website NIHSeniorHealth.gov.
Boomers are visiting emergency rooms in record numbers for reactions to cocaine, heroin and marijuana. Some experts blame the pressures of this stage of life. Juan Harris is the clinical director f a boomer treatment unit at the Hanley Center, an addiction recovery center in Palm Beach, Fla. As reported by ABC News, Harris cites "divorce, loss of a job, loss of health, a lot of grief and loss issues" as factors that lead to boomer addiction. According to the news report, Harris finds that older drug users are motivated to break their habit and have a good success rate with treatment.
Besides the illicit drugs, we have another problem with dependency and overuse of legal prescription medications.The average man over 50 takes four prescription drugs. Boomers are frequently using anti-anxiety drugs, anti-depressants,and prescription pain medications all of which can lead to dependency and addiction.
It's even more problematic for boomers to be addicted to these medications than it is for a younger person. Boomers don't have the metabolism we did in our 20′s. We can't get the drug processed out of our systems as fast as we did at a younger age. The same dose a younger person takes can have a much more long-term and potentially dangerous effect on a person in her 50′s.
Continue Reading: forbes.com
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