When we think drug and alcohol addiction, we envision swirling and bustling metropolitan areas. We think of experimenting teenagers, “yuppies” with too much time and money on their hands, and of the inner-city inhabitants who so pervasively make up the entirety of a crime drama’s cast. We think of the many stereotypes fed to us by the news and by creative (or not-so-creative) Hollywood minds. We rarely, if ever, think of grandma and grandpa, but the proof is out there: the elderly, finding themselves at an often jarring transitory phase in their lives, often succumb to the dangers of alcoholism.
Growing Reality of Alcoholism in the Elderly
Currently, three million seniors in the United States suffer from substance abuse and drug and alcohol dependency. Furthermore, drug addiction and alcoholism numbers among senior citizens are expected to triple by the year 2020, and the reasons why are copious. Our baby boomer population, as it ages, is facing a rough and tenuous future, one that, coupled with the already stressful factors inherent in aging, is making for an anxious age group looking for respite from the daily troubles it faces. With a weakened economy, the availability (or lack thereof) of social programs, and the ever-present realities of loneliness and depression from the death of a spouse, the elderly are prone to alcohol addiction.
Perhaps more startling is the possibility that alcoholism in the elderly has been largely ignored for many years.
Many seniors, products of an era less privy to the dangers inherent in excessive drinking, have been battling alcoholism for years – perhaps decades – and have largely been left alone to do so. Rationalized as “grandpa being grandpa,” a senior citizen perhaps never really had a chance at sobriety because he was highly functioning, and for whatever reason, the stigma of a functioning alcoholic is not as vilified as it should be. This casual attitude toward alcohol abuse is mind-boggling. Whatever the reason, however, years of prolonged alcohol abuse can prove detrimental, particularly with age, because of the physical and cognitive ramifications associated with alcoholism.
The Overall Effect of Alcoholism on the Aging Body
Alcohol works to compound the effects of aging on the human body. Aging, in its own right and by definition, slowly deteriorates the mind and body. Cognitive functions – such as memory and the ability to process information – become hindered, and the body – be it bone density or visual acuity – begins to falter. Alcohol in conjunction with age impacts the frontal lobe of the brain, the complications of which may further affect cognitive abilities in a manner that mimics dementia or Alzheimer’s. Such alcohol abuse may even be misdiagnosed as acute dementia or Alzheimer’s, which will leave the disease of addiction untreated in favor of treating said afflictions.
The body is also at risk when an elderly individual struggles with alcoholism. And we don’t necessarily mean because of its direct effects. Aside from the impact of alcohol abuse on vital organs such as the liver, a more insidious possibility lurks. The elderly, often left alone by the death of a spouse and/or family moving away, risk injury from falling. Alcohol, which impairs balance, may work to further increase the possibility of falling and the broken bones associated with it. Such trauma may prove fatal to senior citizens. Hip fractures, for example, are of particular concern. The U.S. saw an increase in death from hip fractures – from 24% in the 1980s to 29% in the 1990s – and seniors, with their decreased bone density, should do everything possible to avoid such trauma.
Treatment of Alcoholism
Grandma and grandpa should not be left to their addictions. Alcoholism is a danger regardless of the individual’s age. The elderly should seek drug and alcohol addiction treatment if substance abuse is an issue. Because of alcohol’s effects on the mind and body, its consumption should be considered a very real concern and not ignored as a harmless vice. With age, individuals must work harder to ensure longevity and quality of life. Alcohol does nothing to ensure either of these, and it should be phased out of the life of an elderly individual so as to avoid the many consequences associated with it.
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