Drug addiction is something that people can suffer from at every stage of life. For aging individuals, this is an incredibly common issue given that people often turn to drugs when seeking relief for physical or emotion pain that they cannot alleviate in other ways. Recognizing this, many drug and alcohol rehab centers cater specifically to aging adults. If you are in or nearing your golden years and suffer from substance use disorder, seeking professional help will always be the surest and most effective way to regain your freedom and improve your overall life quality. Drug abuse rehab is intended to be a safe, supportive place where patients can gain comfort and guidance from both knowledgeable professionals and like-minded peers.
While drug addiction can occur at any age, its causes and the related challenges tend to be different at each stage of life. Countless studies have shown that addiction treatment works best when it takes a needs-specific approach to identifying and addressing the underlying causes of addiction. Moreover, aging adults tend to feel most comfortable when receiving treatment in rehab centers that are designed specifically for them. Thus, not only can older people receive drug addiction treatment, but they can do so in environments that are welcoming, accommodating, and filled with people their own age.
What Can Seniors Expect When Attending Drug Abuse Rehab?
In rehab programs that are streamlined for meeting the needs of aging adults, seniors can expect to receive all of the same services that are available in general drug treatment centers. These include knowledgeable detox support, individual therapy for identifying the underlying causes of addiction, group therapy for camaraderie and growth, and assistance with life-planning. The primary difference lies in the fact that aging adults will spend much of their time among other older patients with similar needs, concerns, and challenges. It is also important to note that the physical effects of drug withdrawal can often be more intense for elderly individuals. As such, detox support is streamlined to ensure the continued health and safety of elderly patients as their bodies struggle eliminate harmful toxins, and adapt to new and healthier ways of functioning.
What Are Some of the Underlying Causes of Addiction Among Seniors?
Unmanaged physical pain is actually one of the most common underlying causes of addiction in seniors. If you use pain medication to alleviate the discomfort associated with arthritis, back pain, or even an age-related, degenerative illness, you may find yourself gradually taking more of this medication than your doctor has prescribed. Common signs of prescription medication addiction include:
- Taking more of your pain pills than recommended by your doctor
- Lying about the amount of drugs you’ve been taking
- Manipulating others to get additional medication
- Illegally purchasing additional pain pills to supplement what your doctor has prescribed
Growing older can also fill some people with anxiety, depression, and an increasing sense of hopelessness. Certain degenerative, age-related illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease can also heighten these feelings. Thus, just as aging adults can misuse prescription medications for physical pain, they can also misuse them in an effort to self-treat emotional pain. For this reason, drug abuse treatment for older people also includes special therapy for introducing patients to natural, safe, and non-addictive pain management strategies. These can include stretching and balance-building activities, strength-training, yoga, Pilates, and more. The more that adept aging adults become in natural pain and stress management techniques; the better they will be in avoiding relapse after their addiction treatment has ended.
Services for Comorbidity
Despite its ominous-sounding name, comorbidity is simply the condition of having multiple issues that must be addressed in order to ensure a successful recovery from drug or alcohol addiction. For instance, if you’ve been abusing drugs to deal with anxiety, depression, or a physical ailment, the best rehab services will deal with both your substance use disorder, and the secondary health issue that has likely caused it. Without solid, science-based strategies for alleviating pain, the formerly unmanageable discomfort and other symptoms that ultimately led to your addiction will always act as a trigger.
To achieve long-term success in sobriety, drug abuse rehab centers for aging adults take an all-inclusive approach to promoting higher levels of all-around wellness. With a manageable and ongoing plan in place for ensuring improved physical comfort, mental well-being, and overall health, you’ll have the best ability to keep your recovery on track. Aging adults can face drug or alcohol addiction for a variety of reasons. These include low self-esteem, loneliness, depression, negative, early-life behavioral conditioning, traumatic past events, undiagnosed and untreated mental health disorders, and unmanaged physical pain among many other things.
Treatment programs that take a needs-specific approach at this stage of life are designed to examine all of the possible causes of addiction while providing solutions and support that are proven to work. If you are part of the aging population and are dealing with addiction, you’re definitely not alone. We can help you find a rehab center that’s streamlined to suit your lifestyle, your challenges, and your unique treatment needs. Call us today at 833-820-2922.