Late Life Onset of Addiction: Being the Adult Child of an Addict

⚠️ Trigger Warning ⚠️ This episode of The Real Recovery Podcast deals with death, dysfunctional family dynamics, and alcohol and drug addiction. Listener discretion encouraged.In this episode I bring listeners inward for a candid and vulnerable experience as I process the recent death of my dad and explore his experience of becoming an addict much, much later in life. My dad died February 9, 2025 after a 15 year quiet battle with alcoholism and the many, many health problems that accompanied.The onset of addiction late in life is NOT an anomalous or even rare occurrence. Through my personal experience I have taken note of what I felt to be contributing factors not only to his addiction but on a much broader view — the people and the mindsets that serve to exacerbate and even cover up an older person’s addiction.I also feature two phenomenal studies and worked closely with the very people championing one of them in order to bring clarity and order to what appears to be a chaotic occurrence. I’d like to thank Yale School of Medicine for their unyielding persistence in addiction medicine and for their groundbreaking target study.And also our sponsor BETTER HELP If you or someone you know is struggling in active addiction or struggling to find support in their recovery, please send me an email and I will walk with you and make sure you get to the people and places that can help you. Email me: [email protected]