December 23, 2014

As If We Didn’t Have Enough Problems — Alcohol Abuse for Seniors!

According to an article in the December 22 Dallas Morning News, seniors are the fastest growing population with alcohol and drug problems. They say, “An estimated 2.8 million older adults in the United States meet the criteria for alcohol abuse, and this number is expected to reach 5.7 million by 2020, according to a study in the journal Addiction.” They go on to say that the drug problem is increasing, too.

They blame it on the boomers on the theory that boomers were exposed to more alcohol and drug problems when we were youngsters. Certainly, more seniors are likely to be using or mis-using pain pills, since we tend to have more pain. They also say that some seniors may be abusing drugs accidentally because they may have become confused about their meds or the dosage. Another contributing factor is that aging causes people to be more affected by alcohol and drugs; so even if they’re just drinking the same amount, they get drunker!

With ongoing cuts in our pensions and health care, and with the cutting knives out in the 2015 Congress, alcoholism and drug abuse are problems we just really didn’t need!

–-Gene Lantz, President

PLEASE contribute any amount, or make a monthly pledge, to Texas Alliance for Retired Americans by clicking here.

Sign our petition to Dallas Mayor Rawlings asking him to stop pushing to privatize the school district.

We’re also still gathering petitions for health care implementation in Texas. Sign that petition at:

http://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4055/c/1254/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4684

Contact Gene Lantz at labordallas@sbcglobal.net

Judy Bryant at 214-729-0063

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