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In a sample of adults who reported cutting down on their alcohol use in the past 3 months, study goals were to Identify how many increased consumption of licit substances (called 'substituters'); and analyze the psychological profiles of substituters compared to non-substituters. Participants (25.6% Latinx, 46.2% female) were recruited using Amazon's Mturk and completed questionnaires on substance use substitution (i.e. any increased use of a substance while cutting down on another substance) and stress, depression, and anxiety. Among those reporting decreases in alcohol use (N = 78), 78% substituted (N = 61), defined as concomitant increases in food, cannabis, or nicotine. Substituters had higher levels of pysychological distress, reported greater polysubstance use and significantly higher levels of problems related to use than non-substituters. All of the Latinx participants (n = 20) reported substitution and reported significantly higher psychological distress than non-Latinx substituters. Latinxs who reported substitution had more serious psychological profiles and problems related to substance use. The findings provide evidence for a clinical phenomenon involving substitution in a non-treatment sample. Future studies should examine this phenomenon among people in addiction treatment and among Latinxs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increases in the numbers of older adults with mental health and substance use concerns compel us to identify best practices in training to address these issues. Senior Centers are an ideal location for behavioral health education programs as they are the go-to place for many older adults. This paper describes an online certificate program in Behavioral Health and Aging offered by the Center for Aging and Disability Education and Research at Boston University School of Social Work in collaboration with the National Council on Aging to increase senior center staff knowledge and skills. A total of 228 senior center staff in Illinois, Florida, and Wisconsin completed the online certificate program. There were statistically significant changes in key competencies for all courses based on pre-post assessment. We held key informant interviews to assess the impact of training and participants stated that their knowledge, skills, and behaviors were influenced by the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current older adult population is more likely to need and seek treatment for alcohol and drug abuse than previous cohorts of older adults, which necessitates the need for age-appropriate substance use treatment. Building on previous research that examined the lack of attention on substance use among older adults, this study examines articles addressing substance use disorders among older adults in leading gerontological and substance abuse journals and federal funding between 2011 and 2017. Publications were identified from ten leading gerontological and ten leading substance abuse journals using Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms. During this time-period, there were 68 and 44 articles published in gerontology and substance abuse journals respectively related to substance use disorders in older adults. Most (59.8%) addressed alcohol abuse and 7% involved intervention studies. In the 7-year period, there were 13 federal grants. A paucity of published or funded work exists in this area despite growing misuse and treatment seeking among older adults with substance use disorders. Effectively addressing substance abuse in older adults will require a coordinated effort between researchers and practitioners to establish and implement best practices for practitioners to rely on when working with substance abusing older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]