Since they came of age, Boomers have had a tremendous impact on society, and will continue to do so. This 77-million strong generation will undoubtedly strain Social Security and the health care system, but chemical and alcohol addiction among this group entails not just numbers but new challenges in treatment.

The complex profile of Boomer addiction

For the first time we are seeing significant abuse of illegal dugs among those in their 50s. According to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) survey taken between 2003 and 2005, drug abuse among those 50+ rose by 63 percent. The abuse of alcohol along with drugs, as well as multiple prescription use is also common among Boomers. When they present to treatment, we’ve found that Boomers have been taking an average of 4.5 prescriptions as well as 3.5 over-the-counter medications. Benzodiazepines are the most commonly filled prescription .

At Hanley Center, 40 percent of our residential adult patients in the last year fell into the broad Boomer category of those born between 1946 and 1964. Through our clinical experience and a review of Boomer trends and chemical dependency demographics, we found that Boomers present a new patient profile, with unique treatment needs.

Dual diagnosis is significant among Boomer patients, such as bi-polar disorder, anxiety and depression. Medical complications with chemical addiction are often present and can seriously compromise health. Detox is often slower for patients presenting with co-occurring disorders and polypharmacy or drug use with alcohol use. Holistic treatment must be included, with a thorough medical assessment upon admission. A psychiatric assessment may also be determined necessary.

Understanding Boomer generation values and histories

This is a broad and vast generation comprised of two groups, the Leading Edge (those born between 1946 and 1955) and Trailing Edge (born between 1956 and 1964). The Leading and Trailing Edge Boomers were influenced differently by major events and social movements while at the same time they share some broader values.

Leading Edge Boomers came of age during the Vietnam era, the sexual revolution and the assassinations of a president and a civil rights leader. This was a psychedelic “Woodstock” environment for many. The Trailing Edge Boomers were more anti-Nuke than anti-war and had high expectations of life and career, only to find tough competition in the job market. Trailing Edge Boomers are more pragmatic while the Leading Edge grew up as idealists.

Both groups have been called the Youth or Me generation. They have spent millions on plastic surgery and represent the highest divorce rate. They expect a quick fix. They also want choices, do their research via Internet, and are not intimidated by authority. They need to be heard. Authenticity in products and services is very important to them, and patronizing or ageism is not acceptable. They are used to being in control of their lives, or perceiving that they are. Boomers do understand the concept of self-help and therapy.

Reaching the Boomer Patient Through Life Stages

Understanding life influencers, drug histories, generational values and co-occurring disorders is vital in treating the Boomer patient for chemical and alcohol dependency. We also must meet the individual where he/she is in experiencing life roles and stages. The new Boomer-specific treatment approach, Life Stages Track for Boomers is integrated into a holistic gender or age-specific program that addresses individual needs.

Engaging the Boomer patient in treatment

It is not too early to engage a Boomer patient in treatment during stabilization and assessment. Being heard in therapy begins now. Because treatment is not a quick fix, and real recovery may truly begin after treatment, patients must understand that recovery is a process. As Boomers learn more about the bio-psychological disease concept of addiction, they are also more willing to become engaged in their therapeutic care plan.

Boomer life experience is fluid. Individuals experience different life roles and stages at different ages, and may be managing simultaneous roles. A grandparent, for example, may also have a teenager at home or live a blended family as a result of a remarriage. More adult children are returning to their parents’ homes as a financial necessity. A Boomer may be caring for an elderly parent while juggling a career.

The Life Stages Track for Boomers addresses life stage, not a specific age.

Therapy groups that address specific Life Stage issues become part of a patients’ primary gender or older adult-specific treatment plan. Groups may be gender specific as well, and address such issues as divorce, loss and grief, sex and intimacy, familial conflict and caretaking.

Interactive therapies may also be integrated into holistic, Twelve Step-based treatment for Boomers. For example, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, which has been shown effective in bi-polar disorders, helps patients to cope with disruptive mood swings and employs mindfulness techniques. REBT is an educational process guided by the therapist, which helps individuals identify and replace negative thoughts and reactions with healthier beliefs and coping mechanisms. Wellness therapies such as gentle yoga and tai chi can become life-long practices for many. Individuals also learn the role of nutrition, and how to express themselves through renewed spirituality and creativity.

When chemical addiction, whether late onset or long term chemical dependency plays the major role in an individual’s life, simply getting from day to day is a challenge. Fulfilling goals, roles and finding purpose can be lost in addiction. Yet finding purpose has been and is an expressed core value of this generation. If they have grandchildren, Boomers want to be an intrinsic, influencing part of their grandchildren’s lives. Boomers want to leave a legacy, whether or not they have children at all.

Dan’s story:

Dan M., in his late 50s, is active in his practice as an attorney in the real estate title abstract business, and fully engaged in life. In his mid-50s, though, Dan was addicted to powerful opioids as well as alcohol. He came to Hanley Center as a result of an intervention, and made the choice to enter a treatment facility because he knew his life had come to a standstill, including his marriage, his health and his career. Prior to the intervention, he thought his choices were either take pills or die.

Addiction led Dan down a path of desperation, as he doctor-shopped in a 75-mile radius for narcotic pain medications, and unsuccessfully tried to detox himself. “I looked out my bedroom window,” Dan told me, “and I saw someone walking to the bus stop to go to work. I thought, ‘I wish I could function like that.’ ”

Dan’s life with prescription painkillers started after an athletic injury in his 20s, when he discovered a high from the pain medications that proved seductive later. In his 40’s he couldn’t wean himself from pain pills prescribed for back pain. He was actually arrested in 1996 for forging a doctor’s signed prescription. Later, alcohol played a major role while Dan tried to stay “clean.” He pledged to attend support groups, but in reality did not, and he never considered alcohol a problem.

Finally in treatment, Dan acknowledged he needed help, and slowly regained health and equilibrium. He realized he did not want to throw his recovery away. One of the most powerful aspects of his primary treatment turned out to be spiritual. “I didn’t find my higher power,” says Dan, “My higher power found me. It hunted me down with guns a blazing. I began to find meaning in my life.” Finding joy in reality and meaning in the present moment were two surprises of sobriety for Dan. He also finds it fulfilling to support others in recovery.

Dan’s story is one of hope. Recovery is a process worth embarking, and attaining a sense of purpose is possible.