Hidden Issue: Alcohol Abuse in the Elderly

Elderly members of society are most often viewed in two ways, those flourishing with kind attributes and others whom have aged with bitterness, odds are, we know both kind. As a generation ages, we have an obligation to care for the seniors that have laid the groundwork for our lives. Sadly, there is one issue that is overshadowed by other aging diseases, a disease normally correlated to younger individuals, alcoholism.

An excessive use of alcohol at any age is detrimental but in the elderly, it's exceedingly so. It has become increasingly more common for seniors to turn to alcohol during bereavement, seeking its numbing effects. In a world where family is sparce and close friends are continually lost, who can blame them?  Due to these rising concerns, a study involving seventy-three senior citizens diagnosed with alcohol dependency, seventeen female and and fifty-six male, was conducted. Researchers compared their drinking habits and history with those of a younger generation as well as the average population. 

The results showed that an increase of age brought on an increase of alcoholism. While 6.9% of elderly alcoholics received clinical care for their addiction, younger alcoholics averaged 30%, despite the higher rate of the disease. It's believed this is due to the multiple symptoms of other age-related diseases, like dementia, masking the alcoholic symptoms, causing fewer diagnoses.

What can be done? As previously mentioned, we carry a responsibility to care for seniors in their golden years, this includes a heightened physician awareness as well as familial awareness. Take it upon yourselves to care for those in your family at risk, if that can be done, sufferers will not be lost in the shuffle that is old age.

Shahpesandy, H., Pristasova, J., Janikova, Z., Mojzisova, R., Kasanicka, V., & Supalova, O. (2006). Alcoholism in the elderly: a study of elderly alcoholics compared with healthy elderly and young alcoholics. Neuroendocrinology Letters, 27(5), 651-658.

Hyperlink: Article

Drug Addiction and Obesity

Since the beginning of time, our biological instincts led us to eat. That same instinct brought upon the exploration of food sources, including fermented fruits and the chewing of tobacco leaves. With the discovery of these mood-altering substances, substance addiction was born. Interestingly enough, the drive to eat and the use of drugs are far more biologically related than just this.

Scientific studies have intricately mapped the reward system in our brains. Upon stimulation, neurotransmitters are released, causing dopamine to travel through the body, eliciting a "high" when taking drugs or eating rich foods. With this correlation, obesity can be understood on a different level and treated more properly, as a food addiction. 

Not everyone who tries drugs, becomes addicted and those who indulge in rich foods, don't always become obese. There are many factors that encourage these addictions, such as genetic predisposition, environmental exposures, as well as neurobiology and its reward system. Genetic manipulation is currently out of our control but another way to treat the obesity epidemic, is prevention. By following the same route that has been taken with drugs, the hope is to make it less appealing. Reduce the seduction. Sexy smoking ads have become illegal, so the lure of cheap prices, delectable taste and quick meals, should follow suit. 

In conclusion, because these two addictions are so similar, it is fair to mention that those dependent on drugs, will find a way to use, as will people addicted to food. It is a personal choice and that should not change but hopefully, like the fall in cigarette smoking, those addicted to food will have the willpower to kick the habit.

Volkow, N., & Wise, R. (2005). How Can Drug Addiction Help Us Understand Obesity? Nature Neuroscience, 555-560. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from
http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v8/n5/full/nn1452.html

Hyperlink: Article

Marijuana Misconceptions in College

All social activities contain an aspect of peer pressure, whether it's "clubbing", alcohol use, drug use, etc. The concept of, "Everyone is doing it, so I should do it.", has been around for years and has recently been discovered as the leading cause for alcohol use on college campuses. Students overestimate the amount of people they believe drink, therefore feel pressured to do the same. Interestingly enough, this same pattern could also be  associated with drug use.

Marijuana is the most commonly and most widely used drug by college students. Researchers set out to determine how perceptions of peer use encourage such behavior. After randomly sending surveys to colleges in Northwestern states, a subject pool of 5,990 students was formed. 

Predominantly female, making up 63% of the pool, questions were asked about personal use, as well as how often they believe their friends and others use marijuana. Of those who used marijuana regularly, their estimates of peer use were much higher than those who did not. Roughly 77% of regular users believed the general population of students used at least once a week, which is considerably higher than actual statistical use, suggesting they may have been influenced by this misconception while using. Other discrepancies found in the study supported their original thought, marijuana use among college students is misconstrued, leading to an easy acceptance of personal use for some, and to others, a pressure to abide to social norms.

With this compiled information, non-drug users should be comforted by the results and not feel compelled to use marijuana. Hopefully this will reduce the number of students who engage in consuming marijuana and abolish the misconceptions.

Kilmer, J. R., Walker, D. D., Lee, C. M., Palmer, R. S., Mallett, K. A., Fabiano, P., & Larimer, M. E. (2006). Misperceptions of college student marijuana use: Implications for prevention. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 67(2), 277.

Hyperlink: Article

The Effects of Gender on Drug Use

Both genders engage in drug use, that is clearly known, but there are proven differences when it comes to drug preference, dependency and patterns of use. As of 2008, males accounted for sixty percent of the drug using population, also comprising sixty-eight percent of patients at drug rehabilitation centers. By these stats, it appears that males seem more susceptible to drug use, however many other factors are involved, factors investigated by curious scientists.

Two groups were studied, youths, ages twelve to seventeen, and young adults, ages eighteen to twenty-five. Participants took part in personal interviews as well as surveys as information was gathered about their habits and treatment. Females of the youth age group were more likely to abuse alcohol and psycho-therapeutics, while males abused marijuana more often and more consistently. The young adult group held similar results, women preferred psycho-therapeutics, increasingly more than alcohol and males continued to lead in the use of marijuana but also lead in psycho-therapeutic use. Cocaine and other drug abuse were roughly the same for both age groups and both genders.

Returning to the beginning statement, males compose the majority population of drug users and drug patients, despite the similar abuse rate of drugs in both genders. Why? Scientists believe its due to the males' higher tolerance of drugs, thus their abusive behaviors are more obvious to friends or family members. Likewise, males are more likely to be sentenced to a rehabilitation center after conflict with the law, while females are less likely to have such conflicts, thus less likely to go to rehab. Although males reported more substance use, females reported more substance dependence. This collaborates previous research that women are more susceptible to addiction, the amount of time for them to become dependent is shorter than it is for males.

Overall, numerous components affect the preference, dependence and drug use of both genders. Some factors are biological while others are social, all combining to form the present patterns of substance abuse.

Cotto, J. H., Davis, E., Dowling, G. J., Elcano, J. C., Staton, A. B., & Weiss, S. R. B. (2010). Gender effects on drug use, abuse, and dependence: A special analysis of results from the national survey on drug use and health. Gender Medicine, 7(5), 402-413. doi:10.1016/j.genm.2010.09.004

Hyperlink: Article