People in their 50s, 60s and beyond are often not considered likely candidates for drug and alcohol problems. But the combination of chronic pain, the loneliness that can come with retirement and a comfort level with illicit drugs acquired during their teen years can lead older adults into dangerous habits — and even addiction. A new…
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What comes to mind when you think of someone addicted to prescription pain medication? It’s probably not a 70-something grandparent living on a farm in the heartland or a 60-something retired miner from Appalachia. Yet the opioid crisis and its fallout are very real for the older population. For rural older residents, opioid addiction presents…
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(Next Avenue invited our 2017 Influencers in Aging to blog about the one thing they would like to change about aging in America. One of the posts is below; we will be publishing others regularly.) Last week, the President declared the opioid epidemic a national crisis. This long overdue step is critical. But to 2.6…
The post Grandparents Stepping Up for Kids in Opioid Crisis appeared first on Next Avenue.
People in their 50s, 60s and beyond are often not considered likely candidates for drug and alcohol problems. But the combination of chronic pain, the loneliness that can come with retirement and a comfort level with illicit drugs acquired during their teen years can lead older adults into dangerous habits — and even addiction. A new…
The post 4 Reasons More Boomers Are Hooked on Drugs and Alcohol appeared first on Next Avenue.
(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) What comes to mind when you think of someone addicted to prescription pain medication? It’s probably not a 70-something grandparent living on a farm in the heartland or a 60-something retired miner from Appalachia. Yet the opioid crisis and…
The post Opioid Crisis Takes a Toll on Rural Older Adults appeared first on Next Avenue.
(Next Avenue invited our 2017 Influencers in Aging to blog about the one thing they would like to change about aging in America. One of the posts is below; we will be publishing others regularly.) Last week, the President declared the opioid epidemic a national crisis. This long overdue step is critical. But to 2.6…
The post Grandparents Stepping Up for Kids in Opioid Crisis appeared first on Next Avenue.
Having an adult child, partner or sibling with a substance abuse problem puts a tremendous strain on your relationship. It can disrupt family gatherings and even has the potential to uproot your life entirely. You never know when the next shoe will drop, when you’ll get a phone call you’re dreading or whether you should…
The post How to Help Your Loved One with Alcoholism appeared first on Next Avenue.
If you’ve seen the recent movies Beautiful Boy or Ben Is Back, you’ve learned about the pain parents experience when their grown child becomes an addict. But what the films don’t talk much about, and what’s rarely discussed, is the devastation addiction can do to the finances of the people with substance abuse disorders —…
The post The Wrenching Financial Costs of Addiction appeared first on Next Avenue.
The opioid crisis has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. More than 130 people die every day from overdose, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Older adults who hear these statistics, especially if they consider themselves to have “good” families, may think they are invulnerable to it. They might think opioid abuse is…
The post Naloxone: The Drug to Have in Case of an Opioid Overdose appeared first on Next Avenue.
The numbers are, pardon the expression, staggering: The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence reports that 2.5 million older adults have an alcohol or drug problem. The journal Psych Central ups the ante, reporting that around 3 million people over 65 battle alcohol abuse, and this number might jump to more than 6 million…
The post Why Older Adults With Addictions Fare Better in Age-Tailored Rehab appeared first on Next Avenue.
If you saw me walking down the street, a white, middle-class guy in his 60s, I doubt you’d think I could be someone who was once addicted to opioids. But I was, and I’m sharing my story about this journey to help people understand that addiction can happen to anybody, and quite often starts innocently.…
The post How I Became Hooked on Opioids and Eventually Got Off Them appeared first on Next Avenue.
Opioid abuse has risen dramatically over the past 20 years and a recent survey from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) paints an alarming picture of how older adults are affected. The survey garnered responses from more than 200 diverse community-based organizations in their aging network from 40 states and Puerto Rico. The organizations serve…
The post New Survey Spotlights Older Adults’ Struggle in Opioid Epidemic appeared first on Next Avenue.
Substance use disorders are a growing problem among the older population. Add a diagnosis of dementia and the situation can become nearly impossible to manage without professional intervention. Experts say as boomers age, this scenario will only become worse without adequate resources and training for caregivers, physicians and mental health professionals. Family caregivers need to…
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