We've all heard the stories or seen movies or TV shows where a senior citizen is a secret drinker with a bottle of vodka or bourbon stashed somewhere in the house. Usually played as comedy, there's nothing funny about it - especially if it's you or someone close to you. No matter what the age, it's still addiction and can only be solved with drug rehab.
It's a tragic reality that millions of older Americans find themselves alone in their later years, largely ignored by their families and without the friends they've relied on for so long. Even someone still in their 50s, but more often for people in their 60s and 70s, best friends are passing away at an alarming rate. All around them things seem to be changing faster than they can keep up with. For retired people, the purpose of a career and the familiarity and friendships among workmates has also been lost. Life can become a routine of sleep, eat a little, shop for a few groceries, and watch a little TV before sleeping again. Alone.
These kinds of changes in a person's life as they get older conspire to make people feel isolated. As a result, many older people wind up describing their loneliness and depression to their doctor, and are prescribed drugs to "make them feel better." Tragically, many actually become addicted.
Others turn to the old familiar bottle - the legal drug called alcohol. With a couple of drinks in the afternoon, things begin to seem more tolerable. As time goes by, the two drinks turn into many, and alcohol dependence and alcoholism are the result. And the fact that older people cannot tolerate alcohol the way younger people can means tipsiness - and accidents - can happen very easily.
Unfortunately, many older folks with alcohol and drug problems don't realize they have an alcohol or drug dependence for which they should actually receive drug rehab. They don't recognize that some of their bad feelings they have now are withdrawal symptoms or side-effects of the alcohol or drugs. But whether they recognize they have a problem or not, many hide it from the people around them, especially family members who call in occasionally.
Of course the secrecy makes them feel even worse, so they take another pill or pour another drink for that too. Secretly, and alone. But these folks really do need drug rehab. They are not using alcohol or drugs for medicinal purposes. They are, by definition, substance abusers, and substance abuse needs the services of a drug rehab program no matter what your age.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that the non-medical use of prescription drugs is the second most common form of substance abuse among adults older than 55. Although it doesn't say what the first most common substance of abuse is, we all know it's alcohol - the most abused substance of any age group in America.
If you are an older person who finds himself or herself trapped in some form of prescription drug or alcohol dependence, or you know an elderly person who is suffering such a fate, don't hesitate to contact a drug rehab counselor and talk about it. Call one who will keep it confidential, where there are no strings attached.
We should all watch out for our older people, and care for them when we can. We should never abandon or ignore our elder family members, either. We should check their medicine cabinets, ask them and their doctors if we have to, and find out if they're using or abusing drugs or alcohol. At the slightest sign of dependence, contact an alcohol and drug rehab program and ask for professional advice.
Rod MacTaggart is a freelance writer who contributes articles on health.
http://www.drugrehabreferral.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rod_MacTaggart
1 Comment:
Society tends to overlook the possibility of older people having drug and alcohol addiction problems. This is because the elderly are not expected to be the ones with these types of issues, yet these situations do exist. The programs offered are for ALL people with drug and alcohol addictions. I work for A&E and they have a program for all people of all ages, which is provided through a television show entitled A&E Intervention. This program consists of a team of highly qualified specialists to help them overcome his or her addiction or bad habbit. The individual goes on the show assuming they are being filmed for a documentary concerning the addiction. Contrary to what they think, family and/or friends have come together and convinced them to be apart of the show as a way for the individual to overcome their issues. The show premiers December 3rd, but clips can be seen on http://www.aetv.com/intervention
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