Substance abuse is generally considered to be a problem mainly confined to young people, but a commentary highlights that it is becoming increasingly common in older people (pp. 8-10). Caryl Beynon reflects that older people abusing drugs today generally did so when younger, but have done little to change their consumption as they grow older. She acknowledges that there may be a group of older people who only started to use illicit drugs in later life, but stresses that lack of awareness of drug abuse among older people has largely prevented investigation of this issue. The demographic trend toward an ageing population will inevitably lead to an increase in the number of older people who abuse drugs. We therefore need further research on the effects of substance abuse in older people and should develop strategies for dealing with the resulting problems. In the meanwhile, we need to recognise that advancing age is no barrier to drug abuse and be aware that this may be contributing to our patients' problems.
展开▼
