When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion. ~Dale Carnegie
About 8 percent of Americans between the ages of 50 and 59 have used an illicit drug in the past year. This is according to a survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Marijuana was the most commonly used drug. Prescription drug abuse was a significant problem among those in this demographic.
The percentage of drug abusers in this group increased by more than 50 percent between 2002 and 2008, as more baby boomers celebrated their 50th birthdays. Researchers are worried that high rates of lifetime drug use among baby boomers – the generation born between 1946 and 1964 – is poised to create health problems for millions of aging Americans and overwhelm drug treatment programs.
“We are projecting that by the year 2020, we will probably have enough people in the 50 to 59 age group needing [substance abuse] treatment that we will probably need to double the number of treatment facilities,” said Peter Delaney, the substance abuse agency’s director of the Office of Applied Studies. Delaney said that illegal drugs may cause greater impairment as users get older.
“We do know that physiology slows down as you age, so the stuff processed out of your body faster when you were younger won’t be processed out so quickly when you are older,” said Delaney.
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