Older Women Journal of Nursing

Making a Difference: Recognizing the Risk of Alcohol and Benzodiazepine Use by Older Women 

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Substance abuse in the elderly, specifically abuse of alcohol and benzodiazepines, is much higher than most people may think. According to a recent article published by CNN, of the 25.6 million women over the age of 59, seven percent abuse alcohol and eleven percent abuse psychoactive drugs such as benzodiazepines (CNN, 1998).