Addiction among older people is rising. How to spot the signs and get help

A story in MarketWatch featured Kenneth Leonard in a report that addiction among older people is on the rise. “We normally think the age of highest risk for substance abuse is the 20s and 30s,” Leonard said. “And overall, the problem tends to decline with age. But over the last 15 years, we’ve seen an increase in addiction in older people.” Leonard speculates that some people of his generation face a risk of substance abuse after they retire. With more free time and fewer responsibilities, they can relive an earlier chapter in their life. “Alcohol and substance use in the 1960s was on the increase,” he said. “Now they’re getting to an age where they retire and they’re returning to old habits.”