Drug Use Surges Among Baby Boomers

I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal last month that described a “Woodstock mentality” that’s causing aging Americans to carry their youthful drug habits with them into middle age. As the writer explains, “Older adults are abusing drugs, getting arrested for drug offenses and dying from drug overdoses at increasingly higher rates. These surges have come as the 76 million baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, reach late middle age. Facing the pains and losses connected to aging, boomers, who as youths used drugs at the highest rates of any generation, are once again—or still—turning to drugs.”

The rate of boomers’ illicit drug use has increased over the past decade, while the rate for teens has declined, according to the federal government’s annual survey on drug use. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows steep increases over the past decade. From 2002 to 2013, the rate of current illicit drug use among adults aged 50 to 64 increased from 2.7% to 6.0%; for adults aged 50 to 54, the rate increased from 3.4% to 7.9 %; and, among those aged 55 to 59, the rate increased from 1.9% to 5.7%.

What’s truly alarming is that according to the most recent 2013 mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more older adults died of accidental drug overdoses than from car accidents or influenza and pneumonia. This trend has pushed baby boomers’ accidental overdose rate higher than that of 25- to 44-year-olds for the first time.

Experts say the drug problem among boomers is a result of the convergence of two key factors: a generation with a penchant for mind-altering drugs getting older in an era of widespread opioid painkiller abuse. Pain pills are second only to marijuana as the most popular ways for aging boomers to get high, according to SAMHSA.

With boomers poised to become the largest population of addicts in the country, this problem is likely to get worse before it gets better. In fact, government researchers estimate that the number of adults age 50+ who will need substance abuse treatment will increase from 2.8 million in 2002-2006 to more than 5.7 million by 2020.

Now is the time to get this situation under control. If you or a loved one are a baby boomer battling substance abuse or addiction, I urge you to seek professional from a facility that’s equipped to meet your specific needs. This means counselors with the skills to assess and treat patients in your age group, and who understand the stressors and behavioral health challenges that are unique to your generation.

##

The trusted resource in addiction treatment, Kiva Recovery’s groundbreaking model focuses on the individual and the strengths within each of us. Kiva’s treatment approach aims to replace addiction with solution-focused, growth-oriented strategies focusing on Lifelong Recovery through Holistic Health, Positive Character Building through Continuous Character Growth, and Life Satisfaction through Contentment. The Kiva Recovery treatment center is located 35 miles from downtown Chicago in the beautiful northern suburbs of Lake County, IL. To learn more, please visit www.KivaRecovery.com.