Benzodiazepines, sometimes known as benzos, are a class of medications that depress the central nervous system. These medications have sedative effects and are used to treat a variety of medical disorders, including alcohol withdrawal, anxiety, restless legs syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and borderline personality disorder.
Certain medications have a high potential for abuse, even though it is known that they are successful in treating these diseases. When consumed, they enhance the effects of the brain’s receptors for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which causes sedative, hypnotic, and euphoric emotions. The brain will develop accustomed to GABA’s effects and become dependent on benzos if benzodiazepines are used continuously.
Benzodiazepines can be very harmful if misused over a prolonged period of time, although they do not have the same level of toxicity as some medicines and substances like alcohol. It can be exceedingly dangerous and life-threatening to go further and combine them with other toxic chemicals.
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GABA is a brain neurotransmitter whose inadequate synthesis is treated with benzodiazepines.
Your brain releases GABA-stimulating neurotransmitters when benzodiazepines enter your system. You will feel content, at ease, and well-being after being stimulated. You are more likely to continue taking benzodiazepines if you experience these joyful experiences than if you no longer need their medicinal benefits.
Your brain becomes dependent on benzodiazepines to activate your neurotransmitters when you abuse them. This is a precarious path that might result in benzodiazepine addiction.
Self-medication is the main cause of benzodiazepine addiction. This usually results from underlying problems that haven’t been addressed, like bereavement, mental health concerns, trauma, or financial worry. Abuse of benzodiazepines can result in addiction. Long-term use of any drug, whether used responsibly or not, will cause you to naturally develop a tolerance to it. Addiction can take root gradually, and many people are unaware of it until it has had a big effect. Since most people are unaware of what constitutes prescription medication abuse, benzodiazepine addiction is unfortunately widespread among people from all walks of life.
Abuse of benzodiazepines includes taking them in excess of recommended doses, using someone else’s prescription and altering the way they are administered. It is vital to realise that benzodiazepines should only be used temporarily. Addiction can readily take hold as the effects start to fade. Prior to raising your dosage, if this happens, it is crucial to speak with your doctor.
Ativan is very addictive, and the box labelling advises the use of the lowest dose possible due to how habit-forming it can be as well as how powerful and quick-acting it is.
If taken in high doses or over an extended period of time, Klonopin is highly addictive.
Librium is a potentially addictive substance, just like the majority of benzodiazepines.
Valium Despite the fact that Valium has several health advantages, long-term use of this drug increases the risk of addiction and dependence.
One of the most commonly prescribed medications in the UK is Xanax. Although it relieves anxiety and panic disorders, there is a known risk of abuse.
Addiction results in drug-seeking behaviour and a need to use the drug despite knowledge of its harmful side effects. The inability to stop using benzodiazepines despite repeated attempts is known as benzodiazepine addiction.
Even when used as directed, benzodiazepines can cause physical dependence with prolonged use. To perform daily tasks normally, you’ll feel the need to take benzodiazepines.
Benzos are habit-forming sedatives, which means that they might lead to addiction if not used correctly. People who use the substance excessively risk getting intoxicated and falling into a dangerous state of relaxation. As they make an effort to replicate that initial high, their tolerance to the drug’s effects may increase.
There are several causes of benzodiazepine addiction, and depending on how much of the drugs were taken and how long a person is dependent, the results can be highly dangerous. Benzodiazepines have been linked to cases of mortality, with overdoses of the substance causing a variety of serious health problems.
Patients who are taking benzodiazepines for medical issues tend to abuse them the most. The tolerance that develops after taking the same drug (or medication) for a time increases the likelihood of addiction. A patient may stop experiencing the drug’s effects over time, which will cause them to keep upping their dosage and push them closer to dependence and addiction.
The effects of raising the dosage are such that, in the absence of ongoing use, withdrawal symptoms will start to worsen and produce moderate to severe discomfort. The problem won’t be solved by continuing to use it because doing so could cause fatal health implications. This is why you will be informed that each benzodiazepine has a maximum length of use when being treated by a medical specialist. Any more than that will result in tolerance, severe adverse effects, or a combination of the two.
Although not everyone who misuses benzodiazepines will become addicted, the risk is higher. You’ll probably feel withdrawal symptoms when you require the drug if a physical dependence does develop. When you take your regular dose, you could notice that these symptoms go away.
If you are addicted to benzodiazepines, you will feel a strong urge to consume the drug even though you are aware that doing so could be dangerous for you and other people.
The following is a list of some warning indicators of benzodiazepine dependence and addiction:
It might be challenging to recognise the symptoms of benzodiazepine addiction. However, a number of indicators can show that someone is abusing benzodiazepines. Prior to the symptoms becoming fatal, it’s critical to pay attention to the warning signals.
Physical signs of benzodiazepine addiction, intoxication, and withdrawal might include the following:
Psychological side effects may start to manifest when taken for a prolonged period of time. These may consist of:
Those who battle a benzo addiction could experience difficulties in various facets of their lives. To avoid criticism for taking benzodiazepines, they could isolate themselves from their friends and family. They might also have financial difficulties because they either miss work to use the drug or waste all of their money buying more of it.
Short-term use of benzodiazepines can result in insomnia, sedation, euphoria, reduction of anxiety, relaxation, and boosted self-confidence. When you increase your dosage above what your doctor has advised, however, adverse side effects could manifest quickly. These prompt results include, among others:
Because benzodiazepines can impair cognitive function and mental awareness, using high quantities of them to create rapid effects or fall asleep might make it difficult to carry out daily tasks. If you drive right after taking your medication, your driving abilities may be significantly impaired, increasing your chance of a car accident. According to studies, short-term benzodiazepine use can also result in memory problems and cognitive problems. The short-term use of benzodiazepines has also been linked to instances of antegrade amnesia.
It is not recommended to use benzodiazepines for an extended period of time due to the dangers of developing an addiction and experiencing the negative symptoms that come with addiction to this class of medicines. Your physical and emotional well-being is in jeopardy.
Adverse consequences include cognitive impairment, difficulties thinking clearly, agoraphobia, loss of sexual interest, loss of interest in social functions and previously loved activities, and, in some circumstances, reverse effects such as increased anxiety and a lack of sleep.
The medical and psychological conditions that the pharmaceuticals were intended to treat are known to get worse over time as a result of side effects. These include memory issues, extreme depression that can lead to suicidal thoughts, worsening insomnia, and cognitive deficits that are made worse by anxiety disorders. When you stop using the drug for a while or lower your dosage after a prolonged period of use, you may experience withdrawal symptoms.
One sign of benzodiazepine addiction can be the development of benzodiazepine withdrawal during periods when the drug is not consumed. The following symptoms can identify this:
The most effective method of treating a benzo addiction is to get assistance from a reputable clinic. By doing this, medical experts and clinical therapists can assess the extent of the addiction and identify any underlying co-occurring problems that require treatment. Compare Rehab UK offers a number of locations across the nation that can support this procedure.
A respectable clinic will first assess a person to discover more about their addiction and uncover crucial details, such as the length of time and doses of drug use. The detox procedure starts when a treatment team assesses the extent of the addiction.
Depending on the benzo being discontinued, detoxification symptoms may be severe, but a doctor can prescribe medication to reduce the discomfort. After the withdrawal symptoms have subsided, the patient participates in inpatient, outpatient, partial hospitalisation, intensive inpatient, or intensive outpatient programmes to gain the skills necessary to control the addiction.
After therapy is over, aftercare starts and the abilities acquired can be applied outside of the facilities. Aftercare can include frequent counselling sessions or reside in a sober-living facility.
It takes time and expert support to overcome addiction, especially when it involves benzodiazepine addiction, which can be challenging to overcome. The goal is the same whether you select an inpatient or outpatient recovery programme. Rehab’s main goal is to teach you how to permanently overcome your addiction and acquire useful skills that will keep you from engaging in addictive behaviour in the future.
Once you’ve checked into rehab, the first step in your treatment will be a thorough physical and psychological evaluation by medical professionals so they can get a complete picture of your condition and the extent and duration of your addiction. In response to this evaluation, a comprehensive addiction treatment plan will be created that includes a phased treatment structure and several goals. This plan will serve as the “foundation” for your therapy throughout the remainder of your stay in rehab.
Full recovery often involves these three steps after the assessment stage:
Detox is a crucial part of addiction therapy because it rids your body of all abused substances, including benzodiazepines, overcoming dependence’s immediate obstacles and assuring complete abstinence and sobriety for treatment’s later phases (no treatment can hope to be successful if the client continues to wrestle with substance abuse and intoxication).
There is no pharmaceutical “cure” for benzodiazepine addiction, but certain medications, some of which may be given right at the beginning of your stay in rehab depending on the results of your health assessment, may be prescribed to treat some troubling withdrawal symptoms (in particular, depression and anxiety).
Therapy mostly deals with issues of the mind, whereas detox (whether with or without the aid of medicine) can be regarded as healing an addict’s body. The cornerstone of all addiction treatment is therapy because it identifies and addresses the psychological factors that underlie substance abuse and addiction and enables users to understand and change the unhelpful thoughts and behaviours that contributed to the onset of addiction.
Although there are many different therapy models and methodologies available for the treatment of addiction, practical considerations restrict the range of options that may be offered in any specific treatment facility. Contact an addiction professional to learn about treatment facilities if you think you will benefit from a specific therapeutic method.
Addiction education is one element of addiction treatment that is frequently underrated. In terms of helping addicts develop healthier, more reasonable, and more positive outlooks on life, as well as a better understanding of the damage their addiction has done to themselves and others – and will continue to do unless they can successfully complete treatment and enter recovery – understanding the true nature of substance abuse and addiction can have an extremely positive impact.
Gaining this understanding can frequently be impossible while still in the grips of addiction; however, treatment, and addiction education, in particular, can enable the emergence of different perspectives that can help addicts view and analyse their actions in a variety of different ways. Many addicts, even those battling addiction for years, do not fully understand the effects of long-term substance abuse on their physical and mental health, relationships, and life prospects.
Rehabilitation from addiction should be viewed as a long-term (perhaps lifelong) process needing ongoing dedication and devotion if a return to addiction is to be avoided. Recovery is not complete when an addict leaves rehab at the conclusion of treatment. High-quality rehabs typically offer up to a year of free aftercare once a treatment programme has concluded to give addicts entering the recovery phase the best possible foundation. Aftercare may include various components, such as scheduling appointments so that medical experts may keep tabs on the patient’s development and, if required, intervene; continuing medication prescriptions; a commitment to attend individual therapy sessions or support group meetings; among other measures.
Every aftercare programme is customised for each patient and will take into account the unique advancements each individual has made in therapy and other areas of their treatment plan.
There isn’t a medicinal treatment for benzodiazepine addiction as of now. However, medicine is used to treat benzodiazepine addiction, particularly during withdrawal, to at least partially ease the most uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Depending on the severity of the withdrawal symptoms, a doctor may decide to prescribe additional drugs. Antidepressants, for instance, may be taken to treat depression (though the exact antidepressant administered would depend on the doctor’s evaluation, as some antidepressants may interact dangerously with benzodiazepines), whereas anxiolytics may be prescribed to treat anxiety.
Dual diagnosis refers to the occurrence of a substance use problem together with a mental health disorder. The connection between substance abuse and mental health problems is quite significant. People with poor mental health frequently self-medicate or seek solace through the use of substances of abuse, and those substances can also contribute to mental health issues, either directly through their effects on the brain or indirectly through the negative effects of addiction on one’s environment and overall well-being.
Due to the fact that benzodiazepines are regularly used in the treatment of some mental health issues and that their usage frequently turns into misuse, dual diagnosis is particularly prevalent in cases of benzodiazepine addiction. Specialist care is often needed because the dual diagnosis can make treating addiction substantially more complicated as both the substance use disorder and any other mental health issue must be addressed at the same time and also because their individual treatments may conflict.
Choosing the right rehab facility for you can be challenging, especially if you don’t know how severe your condition is or what kind of care you’ll need. Finding an institutional treatment facility that fulfils all of your needs can be difficult with so many options available.
Numerous variables need to be taken into account when selecting the best benzodiazepine rehab. Considerations include, but are not limited to, inpatient or outpatient treatment, whether you prefer a rehab facility close to your house or one that is farther away, as well as the cost of care.
The clinic you ultimately select must have personnel with experience treating benzodiazepine addiction. It is crucial that whoever is in charge of managing your detox from benzodiazepines has knowledge of the procedure because, if done incorrectly, it can be problematic.
A good way to discover more about a facility’s operations and the quality of its programmes is to read what others have to say about it. A successful track record is another quality to look for in a rehab clinic. Check out the clinic’s testimonials page to see what past users have to say. You might also want to do some research to see whether there are any additional reviews of the clinic.
There are numerous solutions available in the UK for treating conditions like benzodiazepine addiction. There are two options available: an inpatient clinic and an outpatient programme. Both have the same objective and employ many of the same treatments, but they are managed very differently. Some of the key variations are listed below:
You should give great thought to where you want your rehabilitation centre to be located because each option has advantages and disadvantages. For instance, if you pick a clinic close to your house, your family can visit you with the least amount of difficulty. Additionally, you might be able to take advantage of any job placement programmes the clinic has set up with nearby firms, even after your inpatient treatment has finished. Additionally, it is much simpler to get aftercare support when the clinic is close to your house.
On the other side, you might be interested in a clinic in a different county or city. Your anonymity can be protected if you leave your neighbourhood, and it could even be helpful when you’re in a strange setting. For other people, getting better in their neighbourhood is too distracting. For these types of people might be better to choose a clinic where they are unfamiliar with the surroundings and can concentrate solely on getting better.
You might be wondering why you would need to consider paying for therapy when free treatment choices are accessible in the UK. However, you should be aware that free programmes frequently have waiting periods.
An inpatient treatment offered by a private clinic may be recommended, and it will cost money if you are eager to begin a recovery programme and would like to heal in a shorter amount of time. However, there are several advantages to paying for care, not the least of which is that inpatient programmes provide the quickest route to recovery.
Behavioural therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, motivational techniques, such as motivational interviewing, and family counselling are some of the most efficient therapy alternatives for the treatment of benzodiazepine addiction.
CBT is a type of therapy that targets behaviour modification. CBT aims to assist you in being conscious of the unfavourable thoughts that are fuelling your maladaptive behaviours. Once you’ve identified these behaviours, you can concentrate on acquiring healthier coping mechanisms for stressful situations. Additionally, CBT uses positive reinforcement to help you integrate your new, healthier coping mechanism into daily life so that it becomes your default response rather than abusing substances.
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The goal of the motivational interviewing technique is to assist you in overcoming the obstacles to your rehabilitation, one of which is frequently denial. Your response to a rehabilitation programme may be impacted if you are unable to recognise how terrible your circumstances are. In order to get the most out of a rehabilitation programme, motivational interviewing seeks to remove these obstacles. Your level of motivation will rise as you become more aware of the need for therapy in a non-confrontational and encouraging setting.
Family counselling can be helpful for families in coping with the emotional impacts of addiction. This entails teamwork to enhance family relationships, settle disputes, and create a common understanding of the patient’s post-rehab existence.
A family programme is created expressly to meet the requirements of families dealing with drug addiction. Family programmes typically consist of one or more weekly sessions and last between six months and two years. These programmes aim to teach family members appropriate interpersonal skills and dispute resolution techniques.
To learn more about the several treatment options that may be available to you and how to get started on the road to recovery, speak with your doctor and/or an addiction specialist at Compare Rehab UK today. Make that call right away – it could be the first step toward a successful life free from benzodiazepine misuse and filled with all the wonderful things you can still enjoy after you recover from your addiction.
BACP accredited psychotherapist with 16 years experience working in mental health specialising in psychodynamic person-centred therapies treating those with a range of mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, OCD and Addiction.
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