Benzodiazepine Addiction

It can be extremely dangerous and be lethal to mix Benzos with alcohol. This can easily cause CNS depression which can lead to coma and death. The most common issue however, when combining benzos and alcohol is, blackout. The amnesic qualities of both benzos and alcohol are almost a guarantee to cause problems when combined. The aggressive behaviors that some individuals have, when consuming alcohol, are often times amplified when Benzos are mixed in. There are many reports of people of fighting, driving, having sex and other complicated tasks without ANY recollection of the events with this mixture. Our institutions and cemeteries are full of people that have mixed this lethal combination, and lost everything.

Use of Benzos and opiates in combination is extremely dangerous and accounts for almost one quarter of all of the drug related emergency room visits. Benzos are commonly used by individuals who abuse opiates to relieve the increased anxiety associated with opiate use. Benzos are used quite often to ward off being "dope-sick" while the addict searches for more "junk".

When someone has been using opiates for a long time and has a large tolerance, adding benzos to the mix will increase the feelings of well-being, comfort and will permit the user to easily start nodding in and out of a dream-like state. This is the state that most opiate addicts enjoy and usually seek the most from the drug. Overdose is a HUGE problem and mixing opiates and benzos will likely land the individual in the ER soon or dead.

The life of an addict is not an easy one and Benzos provide an easy means to forget about the problems that an addict has to live with. Benzos are widely available on the street because they are cheap and very easy to get. The abuse of most drugs brings withdrawal effects and Benzos are commonly used to help relieve discomfort, allow for sleep and to forget. Benzos are so effective at withdrawal symptom relief that they are commonly used in detox facilities to prevent seizures as well as withdrawal impacts.

Some people experience withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking benzodiazepines abruptly instead of tapering off, and anxiety can return once the medication is stopped. These potential problems have led some physicians to shy away from using these drugs or to use them in inadequate doses - Source NIMHSome patients are forced into continued therapy. Benzodiazepines lower anxiety and cut panic attacks for short-term or intermittent therapy. However tolerance to the anti-anxiety effects develops within months. Long-term use does little to control and seems to even aggravate, anxiety. Dosage often gets increased to ward of the effects of tolerance. A user must take more medication to produce the original effects. As tolerance develops then so does the offset in the neurochemistry of the brain. The longer the individual uses the benzodiazepine the higher the risk that the user develops benzodiazepine dependence which means benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms when dosage is stopped or reduced.

Benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms are similar or identical to the original condition and often times much worse. This often presents a big barrier for individuals hoping to become benzo-free. Benzodiazepines are often times prescribed with very little thought into exit strategy in case benzodiazepine addiction develops. Careful consideration must be given to increasing dosage to offset tolerance. Increase in dosage sets the stage for the addiction cycle and raises the risks of adverse benzodiazepine side effects and benzodiazepine withdrawal effects. However, when dosage is reduced or eliminated, clinical studies indicate that the patients show improvements with memory and overall anxiety levels.

Each individual is quite unique and each one has medical conditions that can make for a complicated diagnosis. Subsequently each individual needs to find the proper medical attention that can help reduce or eliminate the complications of benzodiazepine withdrawal. What works for one may not work for another and an addiction specialist that understands benzodiazepine addiction, is the best option for anyone considering dosage reduction or cessation.

Benzodiazepines are very commonly combined with recreational drug and alcohol abuse. They increase the effects of some of the recreational drugs and alcohol. They are also frequently used to ward off withdrawal symptoms, hangovers and to get much needed sleep. This dual-role makes benzodiazepines very enticing to an individual with chemical dependency. The life of an addict and/or alcoholic is not easy and benzodiazepines reduce stress and offer the promise to forget. Add to that, they are very cheap, in abundant supply and you have a recipe for self-destruction.

benzodiazepines are generally prescribed for short periods of time, especially for people who have abused drugs or alcohol and who become dependent on medication easily - Source: NIMHIndividuals who combine benzodiazepines with other drugs and/or alcohol are at highest risk for central nervous system depression. This can easily lead to coma and death. Overdose is common when combining benzodiazepines with other drugs or alcohol, which is highlighted by the 35% of drug-related emergency room visits involving benzodiazepines. Alcohol combined with benzodiazepines place the individual at extremely high risk for alcoholic blackout and often aggravates alcohol aggression. Individuals addicted to multiple drugs often have the most difficult withdrawal symptoms as brain chemistry seeks to normalize during the withdrawal process. The higher the tolerance the individual has to multiple drugs, the more action the brain generally needs to take to normalize. This generally makes the addiction harder to quit and proves to have more longer lasting withdrawal symptoms.

However, everyone is quite unique and every individual has medical conditions that can make for a complicated diagnosis. Subsequently each individual needs to find the proper medical attention that can help reduce or eliminate the complications of benzodiazepine withdrawal or detox as the case may be. What works for one may not work for another and an addiction specialist that understands benzodiazepine addiction, is the best option for anyone considering dosage reduction or cessation.