Drugs - Addiction

By Jerry Price - Mar 13, 2006 -

“How do addicts feel? Addicts feel as if they are trapped and out of control. They feel like abject worshippers, devoted to something that can be very dangerous. They feel desperate hunger and thirst for something. They feel like they can’t let go, clinging even when the addictive behavior yields very few pleasures and a great deal of pain. They feel like they are in bondage. Addicts feel out of control, enslaved, stuck, and without hope for freedom or escape. Something other than the living God controls them, and the controlling object tells them how to live, think, and feel.”

Edward T. Welch, Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2001), 11-12.

Drug addiction treatment centers are beginning to see more and more older people who are seeking treatment. Many of them became addicted at a younger age but never dealt with the problem because admitting to an addiction was not common. James Gulick is just one of them—a 62-year-old retiree who is estranged from his family and has drained his bank account. He is known as “Gramps” by the younger set in treatment with him.

Counselors say the number of old addicts who are showing up for treatment has been growing for the last decade and will probably continue to grow as baby boomers—known for widespread recreational drug use—reach old age. And age may have been a contributing factor in their drug addiction because they have more free time, are more isolated, and their body chemistry is changing.

“Addicts of all ages have traits in common, but seniors have some distinguishing ones. Their systems may be less tolerant of drugs than those of younger people. They have more free time, and no small children or bosses to be accountable to. And they have lost more in their lives, according to Margaret Anne Lane, a counselor at Sentara Williamsburg Community Hospital, who recently began a substance abuse counseling program for people older than 60.

“But when they are ready to quit, they often have more success, according to David Oslin, a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school. Although they may regard therapy with suspicion, having grown up before it was common, they are highly motivated and keep appointments. Their age often means that sessions must be tailored for them, Lane said . . . Generally, people older than 60 make up less than 3 percent of the millions who seek treatment each year, though the number of senior addicts is estimated to be higher. Few older addicts seek treatment, but when they do decide to quit, they are generally more successful than younger ones are, Oslin said.”

Michelle Boorstein, “Older Addicts Face Uncertain Twilight,” http://www.washingtonpost.com , January 18, 2005 [Access fee required]

Further Learning

Learn more about: Family, Addictions, Substance Abuse