Aged 50 and over struggling to cope with addiction following retirement.

Aged 50 and over struggling to cope with addiction following retirement. Between six and 10 per cent of elderly hospital admissions are alcohol-related , and it is not just alcoholism that affects retirees. Prescription painkiller addiction is also on the rise, and many seniors suffering from addiction go unnoticed by loved ones and medical professionals alike.

It is easy to assume loneliness and isolation are to blame for elderly addiction, but it also has much to do with the brain’s reward system. Retirees, especially those who previously held high positions, no longer receive the natural dopamine release they were once used to and often turn to substances to achieve the same familiar high.

Experts say it is difficult to recognise addiction symptoms in those over 60 because medical professionals assume symptoms are a result of ageing and the declining health that naturally comes with it. This means the problem could potentially worsen if effective  treatment is not actively recommended to those in need.

 In the UK, one in 10 women in alcohol dependency programmes is over 60 years old, a 65 per cent increase in the five years .