Faced with a grandparent or older parent who abuses alcohol or other drugs, you can easily feel defeated. "Dad's been drinking all his life," you might conclude. "He's just too old to change. At his age, what difference does it make."

Think again. Research indicates that older adults who enter treatment for alcohol or other drug addiction have high recovery rates.

"Older adults do extremely well in treatment," says Carol Colleran, addiction professional and coauthor (with Debra Jay) of "Aging & Addiction: Helping Older Adults Overcome Alcohol or Medication Dependence" (Hazelden: 2002, $15), a guide for recognizing and addressing substance abuse among older adults.

"Our own follow-up studies at Hazelden show an average success rate of 85 to 88 percent among older adults, with success defined as abstinence from alcohol and other drugs for one year after treatment," Colleran says. "The national average for older adults is somewhere around 75 percent. Older people are more difficult to get into treatment. But once they access treatment, they have the highest rate of recovery of any age-group."

If you suspect substance abuse in an older adult, consider taking the following steps:

1. Talk to a professional who knows something about both addiction and the health issues of older adults. This person could be a psychologist, doctor, minister, rabbi, priest, or social worker.
2. Be specific about the troubling behaviors you see in an older person. Note signs of intoxication, large supplies of liquor, stashes of empty bottles, drinking combined with prescription drug use, and other possible signs of substance abuse.
3. Gather medical information, including a list of doctors that your older relative is seeing. List any medications prescribed by each doctor along with their side effects. Combining such objective information with personal observations can help you persuade the person you care about to get help.
4. Think about asking someone else, perhaps a doctor or clergy person, to broach the topic of substance abuse with the older adult. The message "You need help" may be easier for an older adult to hear when it comes from someone other than you. An addiction counselor might even refer you to a professional interventionist-someone who specializes in arranging meetings between people with addiction and their loved ones.
5. Follow some guidelines for successful intervention. For example, don't confront people while they're drinking or using other drugs. Avoid the words "alcoholic" or "drug addict" due to their stigma with many older adults. Also, do not dig up painful events from the past. Instead, focus on the specific effects that alcohol and other drug use are having now. Above all, be gentle and loving. Bring up the older adult's positive qualities, and talk about the good times you've shared.

If the older adult accepts your message about the need for help, arrange for this person to take the next step. This might be a trip to a physician who is knowledgeable about addiction or referral to a addiction treatment center. Some treatment centers, such as Hazelden, offer special programs for older adults.

If the older adult denies any need for help, remember that you've planted a seed of recovery--one that may flower days, weeks, or months from now. Unless the older person's health is declining rapidly, allow some time for the message to sink in.

A key factor in the recovery of older people is the concern and involvement of family and friends. Keep in mind that people in their seventies can live another five, ten, or even 25 years. Recovery from substance abuse can restore the quality of life that they deserve.

By responding to an older person's abuse or addiction, you can help turn a loved one's later years into the best of a lifetime. Read "How to Talk to an Older Person Who Has a Problem with Alcohol or Medications", or you request a free brochure by email at info@hazelden.org or call 1-800-257-7810.

--Published October 20, 2003