On July 9, 2023, The New York Times featured insights from AFAR’s 2022 Terrie Fox Wetle Rising Star Award recipient Benjamin Han, MD, MPH, on the rising rate of substance abuse among older adults in the U.S.
In the article “Substance Abuse Is Climbing Among Seniors,” Dr. Han discusses the reluctance of adults over 65 to disclose substance abuse and how he encourages his patients to share this vital information. Describing what he tells his patients, Han shares: “As you get older, there are physiological changes and your brain becomes much more sensitive. Your tolerance [for substances] goes down as your body changes. It can put you at risk.”
Dr. Han also explains the potential consequences that substance abuse can have as we age, citing older patients whose existing heart problems, liver disease, and cognitive impairment were likely exacerbated by substance use.
Read the full article on The New York Times here.
Dr. Han is a geriatrician, addiction medicine physician, and clinician-researcher in the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care in the Department of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and a primary care physician at the San Diego VA Medical Center.
Read more about Dr. Han’s research in AFAR’s 'Ask The Expert' interview here.
