Some people who started using hard drugs like cocaine in their youth never stopped. They're still occasional users in middle-age, a new study finds.
By Diane Mapes
The specter of a burned-out Baby Boomer using hard drugs way into middle age may conjure images of addiction, destruction and death.
That certainly can be true, but it’s not the complete picture, at least according to a new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who found that people who occasionally use drugs like cocaine, amphetamines and opiates over the course of their lives are more common than anyone might suspect.
“When you think of a drug user, you often think of someone strung-out, using every day, and in deep trouble, but national data shows that that's not the most common thing you see," says Dr. Stefan Kertesz, an associate professor in the UAB Division of Preventive Medicine. “The most common pattern is illicit drug use at lower levels."
In other words, these sporadic drug users are “dabblers,” says Kertesz, lead author of the study that followed more than 4,300 people from four cities recruited between the ages of 18 to 30 in 1985 and 1986 -- and then tracked them for almost 20 years.
He confirmed what he suspected from his experience in clinical care: that some perfectly functional middle-agers still turn to the drugs of their youth.
"I meet people who use harder drugs on an intermittent basis," says Kertesz, who was trying to find ways doctors can better help patients who use drugs recreationally.
"I wasn't at all surprised that we had a lot of people who use hard drugs at a lower level,” he said. “The question we're trying to answer is: What are the likely health outcomes for those people?"
According to statistics from the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 7 percent of Americans ages 35 to 49 and more than 9 percent of those ages 50 to 59 reported use of a drug other than marijuana sometime in the past year.
While many dabblers may think there’s no harm in the occasional habit, Kertesz found those Baby Boomers and Gen Xers who continued to use hard drugs into their 50s were five times more likely to die earlier than those who didn’t.
Those early deaths weren’t necessarily from drug overdoses, but instead from the risky kinds of lives the longtime users lived, Kertesz said.
“I'd say that those who start at higher levels and persistently dabbled seem to be high-risk people,” he says.
While the notion of parents (or even grandparents) using heroin and/or cocaine may seem like a hard pill to swallow, Kertesz isn’t the only one who’s seen it.
Jeff Wolfsberg, a Boston drug education specialist (and recovering addict), says he's heard plenty of stories of Baby Boomers still indulging in hard drugs.
"I can't tell you the number of conversations I've had with students about how they know their parents did coke on their vacation," he says. "There are probably more people using heroin sporadically then there are addicts.”
The difference is that the occasional users often also have good jobs, nice homes, and families, he adds. “If you have a lot going on in your life, you're not going to let yourself fall too deep."
Cindy, a 60-year-old upper-middle-class retiree from Boston, is a prime example of an older user. Though she declines to reveal her last name for obvious reasons, Cindy does say she and her husband use cocaine now and then because they like the "subtle high."
"I don't have this addictive thing where I have to go out and get it," she says. "I do it very sporadically. A gram of coke will last two months."
Cindy says she tried pot in high school, but didn’t like it. Alcohol has never been much of a draw for her, either. She’s never tried heroin or LSD or amphetamines.
"I'm a total scaredy-cat," she says. "I would never do anything else. I guess I don't consider coke a hard drug. I know there are people who do it and can't stop but I believe they have an addictive personality. I don't think I have an addictive personality. Although I do have a little shopping addiction. I love to shop."
While Cindy has discussed her sporadic drug use with her doctor, she says he told her that as long as she wasn't doing it every single weekend, she was fine.
But hard drugs like cocaine can pose a problem, even if you’re not addicted, says Dr. David Sack, an addiction psychiatrist and the chief executive of Promises Treatment Centers in Malibu and Los Angeles, Calif.
"There are people who can drink every weekend for 25 years and not become alcoholics," he says. "It doesn't mean the alcohol isn't doing them harm. And there are people who use cocaine or other drugs the same way. They don't miss work, but there are still complications.”
There’s the risk of stroke or seizure, for instance, or of triggering a blood pressure crisis.
“Much of the risk associated with these drugs occurs whether you're addicted or whether you're using it for a single night,” Sack adds. “The toxicity of these drugs doesn't go away just because you're not addicted."
And there are other things to consider when it comes to using illicit drugs. Jail time, for instance. Why would someone from an upper middle class background take that kind of risk?
"It can be something as simple as they're looking for excitement in their lives," says Wolfsberg.
Related stories:
Drug poisoning of women may be increasing
Lingering shortage of ADHD drugs unravels lives
Many keep smoking after cancer diagnosis
Read more from the original source:
Some still dabble in hard drugs after 50
- Free Download MP3 Album Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows - DRUGS - February 17th, 2011 [February 17th, 2011]
- Free Download MP3 Album Designer Drugs - Hardcore/ Softcore - February 23rd, 2011 [February 23rd, 2011]
- Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows - "If You Think This Song Is About You..." [OFFICIAL VIDEO] - May 7th, 2011 [May 7th, 2011]
- Drugs Make You Ugly - May 7th, 2011 [May 7th, 2011]
- Bill Cosby Drugs - May 9th, 2011 [May 9th, 2011]
- Spiders On Drugs - May 10th, 2011 [May 10th, 2011]
- Ali-G Drugs - May 19th, 2011 [May 19th, 2011]
- 10 Celebrities Caught on Tape with Drugs - May 20th, 2011 [May 20th, 2011]
- Black Lips "Drugs" - May 20th, 2011 [May 20th, 2011]
- Hallucinate without the use of drugs, watch this - May 24th, 2011 [May 24th, 2011]
- Phil On Drugs..... - May 30th, 2011 [May 30th, 2011]
- Weezer - We Are All On Drugs - May 31st, 2011 [May 31st, 2011]
- Röyksopp - The Drug (Official Video) - June 1st, 2011 [June 1st, 2011]
- Anti-Drug Dog - June 1st, 2011 [June 1st, 2011]
- Drug problems - June 3rd, 2011 [June 3rd, 2011]
- Surfers: Iron's Drug Use Is A Let Down - June 9th, 2011 [June 9th, 2011]
- Betty Boop Cartoon Banned For Drug Use 1934 - June 13th, 2011 [June 13th, 2011]
- Ke$ha - Your Love Is My Drug - June 17th, 2011 [June 17th, 2011]
- Cokemobile: Video of insane armored drug truck used by Mexico cartels - June 18th, 2011 [June 18th, 2011]
- Love and Other Drugs Movie Trailer Official (HD) - June 25th, 2011 [June 25th, 2011]
- Ron Paul on legalizing drugs and gay marriage - SC Republican debate 5/5/2011 - June 30th, 2011 [June 30th, 2011]
- lil kim drugs - July 6th, 2011 [July 6th, 2011]
- Growing Number Of Vets Becoming Hooked On Drugs - July 13th, 2011 [July 13th, 2011]
- 'Bush, Reagan let drugs flow free to US from Nicaragua' - ex-dealer - July 14th, 2011 [July 14th, 2011]
- Drug taken by White before crash can impair vision - July 15th, 2011 [July 15th, 2011]
- Graveyard Dancing - DRUGS (Lyrics) - July 16th, 2011 [July 16th, 2011]
- War on Drugs: The Globalists Biggest Ponzi Scheme of All Time! - Alex Jones Tv Sunday Edition 2/2 - July 17th, 2011 [July 17th, 2011]
- The Shadow GOV deals the drugs - July 17th, 2011 [July 17th, 2011]
- Ohio Medicaid Russian Drug Smuggling Investigation - July 20th, 2011 [July 20th, 2011]
- Homemade drugs devastating Russian addicts - July 23rd, 2011 [July 23rd, 2011]
- Report: War On Drugs Has Failed - July 24th, 2011 [July 24th, 2011]
- Drug trafficking for 'justice' in Mexico - July 25th, 2011 [July 25th, 2011]
- Inside Story - Has the global war on drugs failed? - July 25th, 2011 [July 25th, 2011]
- War on Drugs: The Globalists Biggest Ponzi Scheme of All Time! - Alex Jones Sunday Edition 1/2 - July 26th, 2011 [July 26th, 2011]
- The Cost of the War on Drugs - July 27th, 2011 [July 27th, 2011]
- Joe Rogan - Marijuana the Gateway Drug - August 2nd, 2011 [August 2nd, 2011]
- Get Personal: Drugs - August 5th, 2011 [August 5th, 2011]
- Watching Daughter on Drugs - August 10th, 2011 [August 10th, 2011]
- Elite troops take sides in Mexican drugs wars - August 17th, 2011 [August 17th, 2011]
- Amy Winehouse on Drugs (Belgrade Live 2011) - August 18th, 2011 [August 18th, 2011]
- Fake War on Drugs: US Government is The Real Kingpin - Alex Jones Tv 1/2 - August 19th, 2011 [August 19th, 2011]
- Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows - Sex Life (Video) - August 19th, 2011 [August 19th, 2011]
- Falling In Reverse - "The Drug In Me Is You" - August 22nd, 2011 [August 22nd, 2011]
- Drug Tunnel - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- Runescape on Drugs - September 1st, 2011 [September 1st, 2011]
- California On Drugs - September 4th, 2011 [September 4th, 2011]
- The War On Drugs- Slave Ambient ALBUM REVIEW - September 6th, 2011 [September 6th, 2011]
- Kids don't do drugs... - September 10th, 2011 [September 10th, 2011]
- Don't Do Drugs - September 11th, 2011 [September 11th, 2011]
- Drug Commercial (Jon Lajoie) - September 14th, 2011 [September 14th, 2011]
- Australian Story Love and Other Drugs P2 - September 24th, 2011 [September 24th, 2011]
- Losing the 'War on Drugs' - September 25th, 2011 [September 25th, 2011]
- Alternate Reality! Drugs! Science! - September 25th, 2011 [September 25th, 2011]
- The War on Drugs Has Failed - September 28th, 2011 [September 28th, 2011]
- End The Failed War On Drugs - Cenk on MSNBC - September 29th, 2011 [September 29th, 2011]
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Part 8: Drugs are bad m'kay - September 30th, 2011 [September 30th, 2011]
- Mike Posner - Drug Dealer Girl - October 3rd, 2011 [October 3rd, 2011]
- CIA Drug Ops Conspiracy-Unaired Documentary-Full Length - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- People - October 9th, 2011 [October 9th, 2011]
- OSHO: About Drugs - October 10th, 2011 [October 10th, 2011]
- Drug Testing All College Students - October 10th, 2011 [October 10th, 2011]
- The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work - October 13th, 2011 [October 13th, 2011]
- Android dance, bugged robot on drugs ! - Video - October 17th, 2011 [October 17th, 2011]
- Iggy Azalea ft. YG 400 - DRUGS - Video - October 17th, 2011 [October 17th, 2011]
- A Nation On Drugs - Yemen - Video - October 18th, 2011 [October 18th, 2011]
- Eminem Drug Ballad - Video - October 20th, 2011 [October 20th, 2011]
- American Drug War: The Last White Hope: Pre Release Cut - Video - October 23rd, 2011 [October 23rd, 2011]
- The War On Drugs - "Baby Missiles" (Official Video) - Video - October 24th, 2011 [October 24th, 2011]
- Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug (full) - 480p - Video - October 28th, 2011 [October 28th, 2011]
- DRUGS - Video - October 30th, 2011 [October 30th, 2011]
- Drugs, drugs, drugs! - Video - November 3rd, 2011 [November 3rd, 2011]
- World's Most Dangerous Drug - Video - November 5th, 2011 [November 5th, 2011]
- "The War on Drugs" explained by Graham Hancock - The Joe Rogan Experience - Video - November 6th, 2011 [November 6th, 2011]
- I Don't Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me) - Video - November 7th, 2011 [November 7th, 2011]
- Hockey plane crash: Drugs and bad braking - Video - November 9th, 2011 [November 9th, 2011]
- Bill Hicks - Positive Drug Story - Video - November 10th, 2011 [November 10th, 2011]
- The Worst Anti-Drug Movie Ever - Video - November 12th, 2011 [November 12th, 2011]
- Huffington Post Honored for Drug Policy Coverage - Video - November 13th, 2011 [November 13th, 2011]
- NOFX - Drugs Are Good - Video - November 16th, 2011 [November 16th, 2011]
- DRUGS playing "Sex Life" in Detroit, MI - Video - November 17th, 2011 [November 17th, 2011]