Addiction and Recovery for the Baby Boomer Generation in San Diego County

The Looming Substance Abuse Crisis

I’m a baby boomer. I’m also a recovering alcoholic and addict.  I’ve been around people in and out of recovery enough to know that the perfect storm for an addict/alcoholic is a lot of time and/or  access to a lot of money.

We boomers don’t want to simply accept aging or the physical pain that often comes with it. Our generation has a liberal attitude toward drug usage. We believe that there is prescription medication, and now including medical marijuana, for whatever ails us. The problem here is that medications are not only effective but they are often also highly addictive.

Today, there are about 75 million Americans who were born between 1946 and 1964, about 29 percent of the U.S. population. That is almost 30% of the population of the United States! Experts say that this aging generation of boomers will put a tremendous strain on the health-care system. But what about the added strain of addictive illnesses not only on healthcare but also on social services?

Statistics show that currently 4 million Americans nearing retirement age have a substance abuse problem! This includes illegal drugs, prescription drugs including medically prescribed marijuana, and alcohol, a legal drug in liquid form. That is up from 1.7 million in 2001 or a 235% increase in 10 years of people who have a substance abuse problem, not those who are seeking treatment. 

According to a newly released report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, there has been a 70% increase in substance abuse treatment admissions for people 50 and older between 2000 and 2008.  Another report shows that the proportion of older people treated for a combination of cocaine and alcohol abuse tripled between 1992 and 2008. 

Not included in these statistics are the increased admissions into outpatient and partial hospitalization or day programs for the newly retired in California who are treating minor medical problems with highly potent medical marijuana.  

Alcohol abuse can have severe medical consequences including pancreatitis, cirrhosis, and long term use damages the brain w/the effects leading to cognitive impairment. Difficulty focusing, remembering, mental confusion, and being flexible in our relationships are a few of the symptoms.   

We are already seeing the boomers becoming a giant weight on our medical system. Emergency department visits involving non-medical use of these prescription drugs are now as common as emergency department visits for use of illicit drugs. These prescription medicines help many people with problems for pain, sleep and anxiety, it has been shown that but they can also be very problematic. According to a recent article in MedScape, the Journal of Behavioral Medicine, physicians and pharmaceutical companies believed that the risk of addiction for patients who are being treated for chronic pain for several months or longer was 1% is actually 35% .  Addiction is a problem not identified until people begin getting prescriptions from multiple doctors, purchasing from the internet or in Mexico, drug dealers or ending up in the emergency room.  

If you or someone you love is using substances, complete any of the alcohol and drug questionnaires on our website.  If you identify you have a problem, seek help before it’s too late. We see many successful outcomes with our clients and families when there is hope!

Contact Tamra now at (858) 453-4315 for a confidential discussion of your options. 

Judy Saalinger, Ph.D, MFT, CAS

Co-Founder and Executive Director