Substance Abuse in the Elderly, Disabled, and LBGT Populations

The purpose of this paper is to explore the multicultural reaches of substance abuse by examining populations that are often overlooked in addiction studies. Over the past several decades, many general studies have been done about the prevalence and effects of addiction. These studies often focus on risk factors, daily use and/or treatment, and information is gathered through polls and observations. Most of these studies, however, are nonspecific regarding social and cultural factors. I will focus on how addiction affects three vulnerable populations: the elderly, disabled, and gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered populations.

One population that is often overlooked when examining addiction is the elderly. In reality, alcoholism and drug addiction is a serious problem among the elderly population—a problem that continues to grow. It is a problem that is often undiagnosed, mostly because this age group tends not to self-disclose the problem or seek treatment. For those that do seek treatment, alcohol is the substance of choice—approximately four out of five elderly individuals in in-patient treatment facilities are there due to alcoholism (Reardon, 2012, p. 8). Most elderly people with alcohol use disorders, however, fail to seek treatment. While alcohol abuse is more common in younger populations, it’s still a cause for concern in older individuals. According to Harold Doweiko, 20% of men and 6% of women over 50 admit to binge drinking at least one in the last year (Doweiko, p. 255). Furthermore, between 13 and 19% of men and 9% of women over the age of 60 have an established alcohol use disorder (p. 255). While excessive alcohol use is damaging and potentially fatal to everyone, it’s particularly harmful to older adults; ...

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