Effects of Substance Abuse on the Elderly

The challenge of overindulgence in a world of excesses is a sociocultural affliction that pervades society. Excessive indulgence results in a surplus of issues that threatens society's moral compass. Some excesses are treated with humor because of desensitization on the part of onlookers. At some point in time, as the excesses damage individuals, society must intervene to address restorative measures.

Alcoholism and the Elderly

• The phenomenon of alcoholism in the demographics of an elderly population has grown to alarming proportions. Senior citizens are drinking alcohol at high and dangerous levels. Classic symbols of the aging process mimic the classic symbols of drunkenness, namely depression, dementia, loss of interest in activities of daily living, incontinence and higher incidents of falls. Many older citizens falter and fall, and society deems that a stumbling gait arrives with age; however, alcohol is often responsible for a shaky gait and its corresponding debilitating falls.

  Significant numbers of older citizens lead isolated lives under less than ideal conditions. Isolation breeds ongoing depression. Depression and alcohol march together and are interdependent in achieving a drug comfort level. Depression stems from many factors, such as boredom, retirement, loss of a loved spouse and ill health. There are elderly people who drink to assuage their emotions. Some are also closet drinkers, which makes alcoholism harder to identify. Attenuating responses to alcohol afflict the elderly more so because many are already weakened by medical illnesses.

  Distinguishing signs of elderly alcoholics include perpetual fatigue, a loss of appetite and distinctive forgetfulness. Due to a feeling of languor, they lose interest in their activities of daily living, and odors arise because baths are forgotten.

Where Are the Elderly Alcoholics

• The celebrated happy hour social life at retirement communities can contribute to alcoholism. What began as a happy gathering of people, with more time to socialize copiously, has apparently blossomed into a rum festival ambiance, where the elderly consume large quantities of alcohol and soon become inebriated.

  Not to be outdone by their retirement home counterparts, closet drinkers imbibe liquor inside their homes, where they often end up falling or passing out of consciousness until someone rescues them from their bewildering situation. Drunkenness unfortunately enables comic moments, when a middle-aged man or a young person cannot sensibly step forward, backward or sideways. For the elderly, though, there is nothing comical when they suffer fractured bones during a drunken fall to the ground.

Effects of Alcohol on the Body

• As the body ages, its tolerance level for alcohol decreases. For the elderly who have been drinking over the years, the need for more alcohol increases when painful emotions are in place. Many elderly citizens take various prescription medicines daily and drink alcohol as well. A combination of this deadly mix will result in complications and in some cases death.

Treatment of Elderly Alcoholics

• Older alcoholics can be treated successfully when the patient begins comprehensive therapy. Their hindrance in obtaining treatment is often driven by under-reporting of the phenomenon, self-denial of alcoholism and their relatives' failure to differentiate between old-age signals and the insidious condition of alcoholism.

  According to the American Family Physician, most longitudinal data suggest little change in alcohol consumption as people age. The article notes that if there is change, alcohol use typically decreases. It maintains that reasons for a decrease in alcohol consumption among older persons include increased physiological effects per drink, medical problems that prevent access to alcohol, financial strain and fewer social events that accentuate alcohol consumption.