[Substance abuse in middle and old age -- general abuse]

The problems of drug-addicted middle- and older-aged people have been disregarded for a long time. However, results show a risky consumption of illegal drugs in the 18- to 59-year-old German population. The following paper will analyse the substance abuse of alcohol, sedatives, cannabis, stimulants, cocaine, opiates and other drugs not described more closely (all of which lead to health problems) using the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adulthood (ILSE). Data collection is based on two cohorts (1930-1932 and 1950-1952) at two measurement points (1. MMP: N = 1006, 2. MMP: N = 900) in centres of investigation in Heidelberg and Leipzig. The "Substance Abuse Section" of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) was used for the evaluation. The abuse of alcohol can be registered as the focal point. Men consume more alcohol, while women tend to take sedatives, stimulants, opiates and other substances more often. The East-West comparison shows the importance of accessibility. At both measurement points, abuse of more substance groups was determined in the Heidelberg centre. As for as the abuse rates are concerned, a reduction of all the substance groups can be registered for the second measurement point.