More Older Adults in Substance Abuse Treatment Programs

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Baby Boomers (the generation born between 1946-1964) have invariably had high rates of substance use. As this generation enters older adulthood, the number of older adults in treatment for substance abuse has also climbed.

Data compiled from the Treatment Episode Dataset revealed that the rate of people over age 55 getting professional help for substance abuse jumped from 8.8 per 1,000 people in 2000 to 15.1 per 1,000 people in 2017.

Increase Linked to Cocaine, Marijuana Use

The increase was primarily due to Baby Boomers seeking treatment for cocaine or marijuana use. Treatment rates for alcohol use remained nearly the same over time.

Researchers Speculate About Boomers’ Reasons for Seeking Help

The data doesn’t include any information to explain the increase in treatment rates. Re-searchers have some ideas about why more Baby Boomers seek drug addiction treatment.

1. As Baby Boomers began moving into older adulthood, they took their drug addictions with them. The higher rates for people in treatment from 2000-to 2017 reflect this particular age group.

2. The stigma around substance abuse is less now than in past generations. Older adults and younger people are more inclined to ask for help. According to SAMHSA, the increase in people seeking substance abuse treatment came from self-referrals instead of being forced into treatment by the court system. Self-referrals Mean People Recognizing They Need Help.

Greg Rhee (the senior author of the study and a University of Connecticut School of Medicine psychiatric epidemiologist) said his main interest is whether people are getting the proper care for substance abuse. He stated he also has a particular interest in gerontology (the scientific study of old age and the process of aging). In Rhee’s opinion, SAMHSA’s data doesn’t show a negative trend. Self-referrals mean older adults recognize they need to get help and seek it out. Rhee stated that the number of older adults in America is increasing. Along with this trend is the number of people using marijuana and cocaine. We need to think about what to do about this issue.

The researchers’ report appeared in the Journal of Clinical Psychitry (March 28, 2022)