Concern about increased baby boomers’ drug and alcohol abuse

A recent report warns that drug and alcohol abuse among UK baby boomers is steadily increasing. Data showed that alcohol-related deaths among people aged 50 and over had increased to 5,208 in 2016, from 3,582 in 2001, an increase of 45%. The report also found that deaths among older people due to drug abuse had increased by more than 200% during the past decade.

Researchers from the Royal College of Psychiatrists used data compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in their report entitled ‘Our Invisible Addicts’. They urged that medical services better meet the needs of the older population experiencing substance abuse issues by providing better training, improving diagnosis and treatment, and developing policy and services.

Consultant psychiatrists Dr Tony Rao and Professor Ilana Crome said that substance abuse is no longer just an issue with younger people and that the public needed to be better informed about the health risks older people experience due to drug and alcohol abuse. They also said that, without changes in policy and awareness, the problem would likely worsen in the future.

The chairperson of the Royal College of GPs, Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, recommended that people should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week and that a minimum of two days each week should be alcohol-free. She added, “It is alarming to see a doubling in deaths related to poisoning from substances in older people and highlights the very real dangers of alcohol and drug misuse.”