They can refer you to alcohol treatment services in your area. Adapted from information produced by the National Institute on Aging Information Center . P.O. Box 8057, Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057. Drug Abuse and Misuses and Older Persons Like alcohol abuse, drug abuse and misuse among the elderly is a largely hidden problem. Prescription medication misuse is the most common form of drug abuse among the elderly.
Drug misuse is the under use, overuse, or erratic use of medications.
Studies of older adults have generally found that most older people do not intend to abuse prescription medications. In fact, most prescription drugs obtained by the elderly are properly prescribed from a primary doctor for a health-related problem or to treat the symptoms of emotional stress. A large share of prescriptions for older people are for mood -altering drugs which are most commonly used for problems with anxiety and sleeping. A major concern is that mixing drugs with alcohol or other drugs can cause serious health problems, or in some cases, be fatal. Older persons also use illicit drugs such as marijuana, LSD, heroin, cocaine, or a combination of several illicit drugs.