Benzodiazepine Addiction & Abuse

Benzodiazepines are prescription sedative drugs that are used to treat a variety of mental health problems, including anxiety and insomnia.

They are only meant to be used in the short-term because they are highly addictive. The signs of dependency can occur in days. The human body also develops a tolerance to them, fuelling a need to up the dosage.

Benzodiazepine withdrawal can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening. Anyone addicted to these drugs must get help. Thankfully, overcoming an addiction to Benzodiazepine is possible with the right treatment.

Benzodiazepine use can develop into drug abuse very quickly. If you or someone you love is showing signs and symptoms of a problem with these drugs, please call us on [number] and we will provide free advice.

—

What is Benzodiazepine?

Benzodiazepines are psychoactive drugs used for treating anxiety, mood disorders, depression, panic attacks and insomnia.

They work by slowing down the body’s functions, by increasing the effect of a brain chemical called gamma butyric acid, or GABA. GABA reduces brain activity, so the effect of taking Benzodiazepines is it slows everything down.

Benzodiazepines have a genuinely useful range of purposes in medicine. They can treat anxiety and depression, insomnia, and mood disorders. They are also used as withdrawal medication for opiate and opioid addictions.

The danger comes in abusing the drug and becoming addicted. Benzodiazepines are very addictive, and the effects take hold within days.

—

Benzodiazepine Addiction

Benzodiazepines are highly addictive. They make people feel good and the effects are enjoyable – but the more you take them, the more you need to get the same effect. This is how Benzodiazepine use spirals out of control.

The normal advice is not to take Benzodiazepines for longer than four weeks, and it shouldn’t be taken every day. If you break this advice, you are at a high risk of addiction and Benzodiazepine dependence.

Breaking free from Benzodiazepine addiction is difficult because psychoactive drugs change the chemical makeup of your brain. The effects of long-term use take a long time to reverse, but help is available to help you kick the habit.

—

Benzodiazepine Addiction Abuse And Help

If you can’t stop taking Benzodiazepine, and you have a craving that only Benzodiazepine can satisfy, you most certainly have a dependence.

Addiction to Benzodiazepines happens through continued exposure to the drug. It doesn’t take long for the psychoactive effects of Benzodiazepines to be addictive. You may even find yourself craving the drug after only a few days.

If you want to stop taking Benzodiazepine, you can try on your own – however, if you have been taking Benzodiazepine for a long time, you will probably experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms that eventually become unmanageable.

It is generally recommended that if you have been addicted to Benzodiazepines for several months, that you enter a rehabilitation programme. This will cleanse your body with a detox and provide therapy to change your behaviour.

It’s important to remember that there’s more to addiction than the physical side. We also need to treat the psychological side of addiction, and the habits and behaviours that developed as a result of your drug abuse. This requires behavioural therapy and guided self-help, so you can make positive decisions in the future.

—

How Do People Become Addicted To Benzodiazepine?

People become addicted to Benzodiazepine with overexposure to the drug. This can be the result of too high a dosage or taking the drug for too long.

Benzodiazepines increase the effect of a brain chemical called gamma butyric acid (GABA) which is responsible for reducing brain activity.

Over time, this has the effect of changing the chemical makeup of the brain. It creates a ‘dependency’ where to feel normal, you have to take Benzodiazepines. Unfortunately, this progresses over time and the addiction gets worse.

If you or someone you love has a problem with Benzodiazepine, we can recommend the right course of action. Call us on [number] for free advice.

—

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Benzodiazepine Addiction?

The most obvious signs of Benzodiazepine addiction are:

• Using more of the drug than you need to
• Doubling up your dosage
• Using the drug for longer than you should
• Obsessing over Benzodiazepine
• Being secretive about taking Benzodiazepine
• Making time to enjoy the effects of Benzodiazepine
• Mixing Benzodiazepine with other drugs, like alcohol
• Using Benzodiazepine to help you sleep and feel good
• Finding new ways to acquire the drug, such as being deceptive by lying to your GP about losing your prescription.

Also, there are physical symptoms you need to be aware of. These include:

• Insomnia
• Fatigue
• Low energy
• Low mood
• Irritability
• Sweating
• Palpitations
• Blurred vision
• Lightheadedness

These symptoms will manifest themselves when you don’t take the drug. You won’t feel ‘normal’ without Benzodiazepine in your system. If you need to take Benzodiazepine to feel normal, then you have already developed a dependency.

—

How Does Treatment Work?

There are a few ways to treat Benzodiazepine addiction.

One way is to reduce your dosage over time and stay on the drug. This can help bring your use of the drug back down to save levels within a few weeks.

The problem with this treatment is it isn’t an exact science, and the withdrawal symptoms become unmanageable if the reduction in dosage happens to soon. Also, you will never get to the point where you can not take Benzodiazepine. You will still crave it.

Because of this, detoxing is the best treatment.

Detoxing involves abstaining from Benzodiazepine until all traces of the drug leave your system. This will cleanse your body. Over 5 to 10 days, you will suffer from a wide range of withdrawal symptoms, however, these can be controlled with medication and in some cases a Benzodiazepine substitute may be used.

Benzodiazepine substitutes are often newer neuroleptic medications that are used to treat anxiety and mood disorders. They won’t satisfy your craving – but they will help bring your heightened anxiety and stress down during the detox.

The safest environment for a detox is clinic accommodation. By staying in one of our rehab centres, we will also have the best opportunity to resolve the behaviours, habits and triggers that lead you to drugs and fuel your habit.  

—

The Different Types Of Benzodiazepine Rehab

The safest place to undergo treatment is in clinical care. This means staying in residential accommodation at one of our rehab centres.

This is known as ‘inpatient rehab’. As an inpatient, you will enjoy a break away from your normal social environment and be cared for by our nurses. You will also undergo therapy to resolve bad habits, behaviours and triggers.

If staying in clinic accommodation isn’t feasible, perhaps as a result of your financial circumstances, or lifestyle, you could undergo treatment as an outpatient. This means your detox will happen at home and in the community.

The best kind of rehab depends on your circumstances. We can provide free advice and get you onto a treatment programme in as little as 24-hours.

For free advice about Benzodiazepine addiction, call us on [number]. Our addiction centres offer rapid admission and cover all of the UK.

—

Benzodiazepines are prescription sedative drugs that are used to treat a variety of mental health problems, including anxiety and insomnia.

They are only meant to be used in the short-term because they are highly addictive. The signs of dependency can occur in days. The human body also develops a tolerance to them, fuelling a need to up the dosage.

Benzodiazepine withdrawal can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening. Anyone addicted to these drugs must get help. Thankfully, overcoming an addiction to Benzodiazepine is possible with the right treatment.

Benzodiazepine use can develop into drug abuse very quickly. If you or someone you love is showing signs and symptoms of a problem with these drugs, please call us on [number] and we will provide free advice.

—

What is Benzodiazepine?

Benzodiazepines are psychoactive drugs used for treating anxiety, mood disorders, depression, panic attacks and insomnia.

They work by slowing down the body’s functions, by increasing the effect of a brain chemical called gamma butyric acid, or GABA. GABA reduces brain activity, so the effect of taking Benzodiazepines is it slows everything down.

Benzodiazepines have a genuinely useful range of purposes in medicine. They can treat anxiety and depression, insomnia, and mood disorders. They are also used as withdrawal medication for opiate and opioid addictions.

The danger comes in abusing the drug and becoming addicted. Benzodiazepines are very addictive, and the effects take hold within days.

—

Benzodiazepine Addiction

Benzodiazepines are highly addictive. They make people feel good and the effects are enjoyable – but the more you take them, the more you need to get the same effect. This is how Benzodiazepine use spirals out of control.

The normal advice is not to take Benzodiazepines for longer than four weeks, and it shouldn’t be taken every day. If you break this advice, you are at a high risk of addiction and Benzodiazepine dependence.

Breaking free from Benzodiazepine addiction is difficult because psychoactive drugs change the chemical makeup of your brain. The effects of long-term use take a long time to reverse, but help is available to help you kick the habit.

—

Benzodiazepine Addiction Abuse And Help

If you can’t stop taking Benzodiazepine, and you have a craving that only Benzodiazepine can satisfy, you most certainly have a dependence.

Addiction to Benzodiazepines happens through continued exposure to the drug. It doesn’t take long for the psychoactive effects of Benzodiazepines to be addictive. You may even find yourself craving the drug after only a few days.

If you want to stop taking Benzodiazepine, you can try on your own – however, if you have been taking Benzodiazepine for a long time, you will probably experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms that eventually become unmanageable.

It is generally recommended that if you have been addicted to Benzodiazepines for several months, that you enter a rehabilitation programme. This will cleanse your body with a detox and provide therapy to change your behaviour.

It’s important to remember that there’s more to addiction than the physical side. We also need to treat the psychological side of addiction, and the habits and behaviours that developed as a result of your drug abuse. This requires behavioural therapy and guided self-help, so you can make positive decisions in the future.

—

How Do People Become Addicted To Benzodiazepine?

People become addicted to Benzodiazepine with overexposure to the drug. This can be the result of too high a dosage or taking the drug for too long.

Benzodiazepines increase the effect of a brain chemical called gamma butyric acid (GABA) which is responsible for reducing brain activity.

Over time, this has the effect of changing the chemical makeup of the brain. It creates a ‘dependency’ where to feel normal, you have to take Benzodiazepines. Unfortunately, this progresses over time and the addiction gets worse.

If you or someone you love has a problem with Benzodiazepine, we can recommend the right course of action. Call us on [number] for free advice.

—

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Benzodiazepine Addiction?

The most obvious signs of Benzodiazepine addiction are:

• Using more of the drug than you need to
• Doubling up your dosage
• Using the drug for longer than you should
• Obsessing over Benzodiazepine
• Being secretive about taking Benzodiazepine
• Making time to enjoy the effects of Benzodiazepine
• Mixing Benzodiazepine with other drugs, like alcohol
• Using Benzodiazepine to help you sleep and feel good
• Finding new ways to acquire the drug, such as being deceptive by lying to your GP about losing your prescription.

Also, there are physical symptoms you need to be aware of. These include:

• Insomnia
• Fatigue
• Low energy
• Low mood
• Irritability
• Sweating
• Palpitations
• Blurred vision
• Lightheadedness

These symptoms will manifest themselves when you don’t take the drug. You won’t feel ‘normal’ without Benzodiazepine in your system. If you need to take Benzodiazepine to feel normal, then you have already developed a dependency.

—

How Does Treatment Work?

There are a few ways to treat Benzodiazepine addiction.

One way is to reduce your dosage over time and stay on the drug. This can help bring your use of the drug back down to save levels within a few weeks.

The problem with this treatment is it isn’t an exact science, and the withdrawal symptoms become unmanageable if the reduction in dosage happens to soon. Also, you will never get to the point where you can not take Benzodiazepine. You will still crave it.

Because of this, detoxing is the best treatment.

Detoxing involves abstaining from Benzodiazepine until all traces of the drug leave your system. This will cleanse your body. Over 5 to 10 days, you will suffer from a wide range of withdrawal symptoms, however, these can be controlled with medication and in some cases a Benzodiazepine substitute may be used.

Benzodiazepine substitutes are often newer neuroleptic medications that are used to treat anxiety and mood disorders. They won’t satisfy your craving – but they will help bring your heightened anxiety and stress down during the detox.

The safest environment for a detox is clinic accommodation. By staying in one of our rehab centres, we will also have the best opportunity to resolve the behaviours, habits and triggers that lead you to drugs and fuel your habit.  

—

The Different Types Of Benzodiazepine Rehab

The safest place to undergo treatment is in clinical care. This means staying in residential accommodation at one of our rehab centres.

This is known as ‘inpatient rehab’. As an inpatient, you will enjoy a break away from your normal social environment and be cared for by our nurses. You will also undergo therapy to resolve bad habits, behaviours and triggers.

If staying in clinic accommodation isn’t feasible, perhaps as a result of your financial circumstances, or lifestyle, you could undergo treatment as an outpatient. This means your detox will happen at home and in the community.

The best kind of rehab depends on your circumstances. We can provide free advice and get you onto a treatment programme in as little as 24-hours.

For free advice about Benzodiazepine addiction, call us on [number]. Our addiction centres offer rapid admission and cover all of the UK.