Over-60s 'forgotten' when it comes to alcohol addiction services

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by Change | 16 Jul 2009

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As new research has shown a growing number of pensioners are suffering from alcohol addictions, the government has been urged to increase its focus on providing appropriate addiction recovery services for older people.

The government is being called on to provide better access to addiction treatment services for older people, as research has shown a growing number of pensioners are becoming addicted to alcohol.

According to the Institute of Alcohol Studies, more needs to be done to ensure appropriate addiction recovery services are available to people during their retirement, because at present the majority of attention is focused on tackling binge drinking and alcohol addictions among young people.

"The over-60s are a neglected group when it comes to focus on alcohol policy and services," said Dr Rachel Seabrook, research manager at the organisation.

While in general the focus tends to be on providing addiction treatment for younger people, Dr Seabrook explained that hospital admissions for alcohol abuse are seen "right across the board".

With the UK seeing an aging population, Dr Seabrook suggested more needs to be done to redress the balance, because otherwise the problem will get worse for society as greater numbers of older people become addicted to alcohol but are unable to access rehab centres to tackle their problems.

A recent study carried out by alcohol and drug charity Foundation66 found that 13 per cent of the over-60s drink more after retiring and 19 per cent use alcohol to beat depression.

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