Data highlight problem of alcohol abuse in older adults.

Nearly half of substance abuse treatment admissions among adults ages 50 and older in 2003 were specifically for alcohol abuse, and a good percentage of these admissions were of first-time visitors to a treatment program, according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Data taken from the 2003 Treatment Episode Data Set showed that 48% of 164,000 treatment admissions in this age group in 2003 were for alcohol abuse problems, with men accounting for 80% of these alcohol-related admissions. Those admitted specifically for alcohol abuse were more likely to be first-time treatment participants than were older adults admitted for other reasons (45%, as opposed to 33%).

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In addition, the analysis found that older adults with alcohol-specific problems were less likely than other adults in treatment to have sought the assistance themselves. "Alcohol abuse among older adults is something few want to talk about, and a problem for which even fewer seek treatment on their own," says SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie. He adds, "Health care providers tend not to ask older patients about alcohol abuse if it wasn't a problem in their lives in earlier years."

Other recent research findings related to alcohol abuse have highlighted its major overall impact on the healthcare system. According to 2003 data cited by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, community hospitals treated nearly 210,000 patients for alcohol abuse that year, and more than 1 million additional patients who were hospitalized for other reasons also had an alcohol abuse diagnosis. Among uninsured persons, alcohol abuse disorders were the fourth most common reason for a hospitalization, according to the federal agency.