Drug Use Miami: Senior Citizen’s Need for Drug and Alcohol Rehab on Upward Climb

Drug and alcohol rehab facilities are not necessarily places that come to mind when you think of America’s senior citizens. However, according to a recent report released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “the number of US adults age 50 or older needing substance abuse treatment is expected to double from 2.8 million to 5.7 million by the year 2020.” According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network, the most common types of drugs leading to adverse reactions in our senior citizens are prescription drugs used to treat chronic pain, anxiety and insomnia. In fact, these three types of drugs combined to almost 25 percent of these negative reactions.

Drug and alcohol rehab facilities will need to begin to train themselves to better treat the psychological and emotional problems of the aging population. The older generation just as the younger generation is having a very difficult time with the highly addictive painkillers, but chronic pain is only one complaint of senior citizens today. “Older people tend to deal with more feelings of loneliness and sadness and are prescribed anxiety and anti-depressants than can be abused as well,” said Chip Hobbs, an addiction specialist at South Miami Hospital with a long history in drug and alcohol rehab.

Painkillers, anti-anxiety and insomnia medication all typically have one thing in common, and that’s the tolerance the body begins to develop towards it when taken for a long period of time. There is always a risk of developing an addiction when dealing with substances this potent, especially as the body grows more and more sensitive as it ages. Unfortunately, many doctors in general but certainly geriatric doctors have not been trained in the field of addiction, so they don’t know how to recognize when one of their patients is starting to develop a problem. These doctors are trained to treat the pain or particular symptom their patient is suffering from, so that’s what they do.

Many doctors could learn quite a bit from the drug and alcohol rehab facilities some of their patients end up in, especially in terms of identifying certain behaviors that can act as sort of red flags to a possible chemical dependency. If a dependency on any of these substances has developed, the most important thing to remember is not to try and stop taking the drugs on your own without being under the direct supervision of a medical professional. Some of the side effects of detoxing from these drugs can be as serious as potentially fatal strokes and seizures and it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

University of Miami- Pier 21 – PIER 21 is a comprehensive Prevention, Intervention, Education, and Referral program focusing on alcohol and other drug use, misuse, and dependency. By working in partnership with all members of the campus community, we strive to: Promote healthy lifestyles, as well as personal and social responsibility, by providing and/or supporting programs, training, service, and alternative activities for students; Educate students about the negative consequences of high-risk use of alcohol and other drugs; Increase awareness and commitment within the University community to create an environment in which a change in attitudes, behaviors, and use of substances is possible and participation in high-risk behaviors is reduced.

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