A government survey estimates that the number of adults aged 50 or older with substance abuse problems will double to 5 million in 2020 from 2.5 million in 1999, in large part due to their comfort with prescription drugs.
“There is a huge concern that what we’re going to be seeing is a tidal wave of seriously affected substance abusers in later life,” said Frederic Blow, an associate professor at the University of Michigan Medical School who specializes in geriatric substance abuse.
Unlike their predecessors, the Woodstock generation is comfortable taking medications for a wide range of problems, including pain, insomnia, depression and anxiety. As a result, they are more vulnerable to substance abuse in later life, experts say.
del.icio.us
Digg this
