According to studies, about 17% seniors in America are suffering from alcohol abuse problems, though they still go underrepresented in the drug rehabilitation centers. Studies further show whenever the seniors participate in drug rehabilitation programs conducted by the centers, they are more likely to complete their prescribed course and show greater compliance with prescribed treatments. It has almost assumed the proportions of a silent epidemic though people are becoming more aware of the problem with time. Many seniors have been found to abuse medicines, while others get into alcohol abuse problems and some mix both these problems together. Substance abuse in seniors can give rise to serious problems such as heart disease, cancer, falls, malnutrition, memory loss, changes in personality and depression. If any of these problems become serious, it may lead to early death. If you find you are not able to live a normal life without prescription drug or alcohol, it’s time you called for professional help.

You Can Avoid Drug Rehabilitation Centers

How can you avoid going to drug rehabilitation centers? It is believed seniors suffering from chronic pain, stress, loneliness and depression are more prone to prescription drugs or alcohol addiction. While the risk of addiction is higher in those who have prior history, even those adults with clean past record can also become addicted.

Alcohol is Readily Available for Abuse

The substance seniors are most likely to abuse is alcohol. The reason is alcohol is readily available and socially acceptable, so people can abuse it on and off again which later grows into dependence over the substance. Only a few drinks are enough to cause addiction among seniors which later leads them to require services of drug rehabilitation centers.

Here are some prescription drugs which convert normal seniors into drug addicts:

1.Morphine and other narcotics are powerful painkillers which are extremely useful for patients suffering from chronic pain symptoms. Only a small minority of patients suffering from chronic pain have shown the inclination to become addicted to their pain killers. Those, who have previous history of addiction, are advised to avoid these drugs. Narcotic pain killers have a stigma attached to them due to which doctors often refuse to prescribe them.

2.Librium and Valium are longer life sedatives which work slowly and for a longer time in the human body. If you use these drugs, you have a higher change of risking addiction. You also suffer from increased risk of falls. Many doctors suggest long half life drugs should be avoided by seniors. The message doesn’t seem to have struck a chord with the doctors yet, because majority of them are still prescribing Valium to numerous seniors every year.

3.Barbiturates are the other sedatives often used for insomnia treatment. The drugs are eliminated in the bodies of senior persons slowly. These drugs also tend to stay there in the body with the body fat, and the stored drug keeps getting released in a sustained manner. This also increases the risk of falls, broken bones and of course drug addiction. Again if you don’t want to end up in drug rehabilitation centers, avoid these drugs right from the start.