I decided to look at an article that I could relate to addiction and the elderly. The article I chose is Gender Differences in Seven-Year Alcohol and Drug Treatment Outcomes among Older Adults. This article discusses substance addiction among older adults as well as differences in addiction and treatment between older men and women. The study was conducted on men and women over the age of 55. It used an outpatient program and explored the outcomes of a seven year follow-up assessment. It concluded that women, on average, stuck with the program longer and were more successful at the seven year follow-up. A direct connection was made between the length the participant stayed in the program and the success rates.

This article directly relates to chapter 6 in our books as well as our discussions in class. The article discusses the problem of low awareness when it comes to substance misuse and dependence among older adults. There are not many studies or programs, nor is there much education on older adults suffering from addiction. Other things we discussed in class were reasons for addictions among the elderly going unnoticed. Most older adults keep their substance abuse hidden by only doing it when they are alone or at home. Addictions among the elderly are also ignored because they have used the substance their entire life so it is natural to them, however, as they get older their tolerance goes down making the effects stronger. Because of the baby boomer generation as well as advances in medicine, the number of older adults is increasing. This makes the problem of addiction among the elderly a rising priority.

References

Satre, D. D., Blow, F. C., Chi, F. W., & Weisner, C. (2007). Gender Differences in Seven-Year Alcohol and Drug Treatment Outcomes among Older Adults. American Journal On Addictions, 16(3), 216- 221. doi:10.1080/10550490701375673

Van Wormer, Katherine. Addiction Treatment: a Strengths Perspective.