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The Dasis Report (Drug and Alcohol Information System)
May 11, 2004

Older Adults in Substance Abuse Treatment: 2001

In Brief
  • In 2001, there were 58,000 admissions aged 55 or older, about 3 percent of all substance abuse treatment admissions
    •
  • Alcohol was reported as the primary substance of abuse more frequently among admissions 55 or older than among younger admissions (74 vs. 44 percent)

  • Abuse of alcohol alone, with no secondary drug abuse, was reported by nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of older admissions

This report examines substance abuse treatment admissions aged 55 or older in 2001, and compares them with younger admissions. In 2001, there were 58,000 admissions aged 55 or older among the 1.7 million substance abuse treatment admissions in the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). While the number of admissions aged 55 or older has increased over the years, the proportion of admissions aged 55 or older has remained stable at 3 percent of all admissions.1

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans older than 55 is increasing-from 59 million in 2000 to a projected 74 million in 2010.2 Adults older than 55 will constitute 25 percent of the U.S. population in 2010, up from 21 percent in 2000.

TEDS is an annual compilation of data on the demographic characteristics and substance abuse problems of substance abuse treatment admissions. The information comes primarily from facilities that receive some public funding. TEDS records represent admissions rather than individuals, as a person may be admitted to treatment more than once.

 
Primary Substance of Abuse
Alcohol was more frequently reported as the primary substance of abuse3 among admissions aged 55 or older than among younger admissions (74 vs. 44 percent) (Figure 1). Cocaine (5 vs. 13 percent) and marijuana (1 vs. 15 percent) were reported as the primary substance of abuse less frequently among older admissions than among younger admissions.

Abuse of alcohol alone, with no secondary drug abuse, was reported by nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of older admissions while only one-quarter (23 percent) of admissions younger than 55 years old reported abuse of alcohol alone.

Figure 1. All Admissions, by Age Group and Primary Substance: 2001
Figure 1. All Admissions, by Age Group and Primary Substance: 2001
Source: 2001 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).


Demographics
Admissions aged 55 or older differed little from younger admissions in racial/ethnic composition. Both age groups were about 60 percent White, 24 percent Black, and 12 percent Hispanic (Table 1).

There was a higher proportion of males among admissions aged 55 or older (80 percent) than among admissions younger than 55 (70 percent).

Table 1. All Admissions, by Age Group, Sex, and Race/Ethnicity: 2001
  Age <55 Age 55+
 
Percent
Male
70
80
Female
30
20
 
White
59
51
Black
24
23
Hispanic
12
11
American Indian/ Alaska Native
2
3
Asian/ Pacific Islander
1
1
Other
2
1
All
100
100
Source: 2001 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).



Source of Referral
Admissions aged 55 or older were more likely than younger admissions to enter treatment through self-referral (41 vs. 36 percent) and less likely to be referred through the criminal justice system (25 vs. 35 percent) (Figure 2).

Figure 2. All Admissions, by Age Group and Referral Source: 2001
Figure 2. All Admissions, by Age Group and Referral Source: 2001
Source: 2001 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).


Type of Treatment
Admissions aged 55 or older were more likely to receive detoxification services than younger admissions (36 vs. 25 percent) (Figure 3). Older admissions were less likely than younger admissions to receive outpatient treatment, either intensive or non-intensive (50 vs. 58 percent).

Figure 3. All Admissions by Age Group and Type of Treatment: 2001
Figure 3. All Admissions by Age Group and Type of Treatment: 2001
Source: 2001 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).


End Notes
1 For a previous DASIS Report on admissions aged 55 or older, see Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. The DASIS report: Older adults in substance abuse treatment. Rockville, MD. December 7, 2001. This report contains trend data on older admissions between 1994 and 1999.
2 For 2000 population numbers, see U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Population and Housing. Census 2000, Summary File 1, Table QT-P1, Age Group and Sex: 2000. Downloaded on 1/23/04 from http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-12.pdf.
For population projections, see U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, Population Projections Branch, Table NP-D1B. Quarterly Projection of the Resident Population by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin. Updated August 2, 2002. Downloaded on 1/23/04 from http://www.census.gov/population/projections/nation/summary/np-t3-c.txt.
3 The primary substance of abuse is the main substance reported at the time of admission.
The Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DASIS) is an integrated data system maintained by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). One component of DASIS is the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). TEDS is a compilation of data on the demographic characteristics and substance abuse problems of those admitted for substance abuse treatment. The information comes primarily from facilities that receive some public funding. Information on treatment admissions is routinely collected by State administrative systems and then submitted to SAMHSA in a standard format. Approximately 1.7 million records are included in TEDS each year. TEDS records represent admissions rather than individuals, as a person may be admitted to treatment more than once.

The DASIS Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA; Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., Arlington, Virginia; and RTI, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Information and data for this issue are based on data reported to TEDS through May 31, 2003.

Access the latest TEDS reports at:
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/dasis.htm

Access the latest TEDS public use files at:
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/SAMHDA.htm

Other substance abuse reports are available at:
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov
The DASIS Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Additional copies of this report or other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are available on-line: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Citation of the source is appreciated.

This page was last updated on May 16, 2008.