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Benzodiazepine
Addiction, Side
Effects & Rehab
Treatment
Written by: Editorial Staff Updated Jul 19, 2022

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About one-third of individuals who take benzos

for six months or more will experience health
problems, including seizures, when they try to
quit. Benzodiazepine addiction treatment
(Ativan, Ambien, Klonopin, Xanax, Valium)
begins with medical detox.

Know before you go...

02
Admissions process

Learn about the admissions process at Ch

American Addiction Centers (AAC). co

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Once stabilized, individuals continue their

recovery through inpatient or outpatient
programs that offer cognitive therapies and
counseling sessions. Many inpatient programs
provide home-like amenities and comfortable
environments, so people can heal in
comfortable, calming environments.

What are
Benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines are prescription
medications, and they’ve been in use for
more than 50 years. During that time,
according to an analysis published in
Addiction, researchers have been concerned
about the link between these drugs and
addiction.

These researchers have been so concerned, in

fact, that they’ve written up more than 60,000
articles that use words like dependence and
abuse in concert with benzodiazepines.

Despite the addiction dangers associated with

these drugs, that knowledge hasn’t moved into
mainstream consciousness. In fact, most
people who take benzodiazepines to help with
a medical condition. Thousands more use
these drugs recreationally, and probably have
no idea of how these drugs work and why they
could lead to addiction.

Once users do develop an addiction, they

may be well aware that these aren’t pills to
play with. With help, they may be able to
stop abusing these medications.

A full recovery is possible, with the help of

therapy. Here’s what families need to know in
order to spot a benzodiazepine problem and
what steps to take to get help.

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Benzodiazepine
Addiction & The Brain
The National Institute on Drug Abuse says that
benzos cause a minor shift in the chemical
signals the brain uses to communicate a
pleasurable event. When that shift takes hold,
people feel a boost of sensation that is
associated with reward, joy, and security. They
may not be able to name the change, but the
brain marks that change.

When it comes to addictions, benzodiazepines

are dangerous because they cause persistent
brain chemical changes.

In time, the altered brain cells may not function

at an optimal level without access to
benzodiazepines. Brain cells will call out for the
drug, and that call will be hard to ignore. That’s
when an addiction is in play. Any
benzodiazepine can cause this reaction, but
there are some drugs in this classification that
are of particular concern.

Common
Benzodiazepine List
The following is a list of common
benzodiazepine medications:

Xanax (alprazolam): This drug, used to treat

anxiety and panic disorders, comes in a
variety of different strengths. One
formulation is of deep concern, as it’s made
to release benzodiazepine effects over an
extended period of time. Users who crush
these pills can get all of the Xanax power at
once. The European Monitoring Centre for
Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) says,
too, that Xanax works immediately,
delivering big changes all at once. That
makes Xanax more dangerous than other
benzos on the market.
Klonopin (clonazepam): Seizure disorders
and panic disorders are often treated with
Klonopin. Pills come in 1 mg or 2 mg
strengths. Some are made to dissolve or
disintegrate in the mouth. EMCDDA says
Klonopin is an intermediate-acting benzo.
Valium (diazepam): Anxiety disorders,
muscle spasms, and alcohol withdrawal
symptoms can all be treated with Valium.
Valium is one of the oldest benzos on the
market today. This drug, which has many
generic formulations, comes in a number
of different strengths, including some that
release their power over an extended period
of time. There is good news, as EMCDDA
says Valium takes a long time to hit the
body. That means this drug doesn’t provide
an immediate high. It tends
to come on slower, and it’s a little less
rewarding as a result.
Ativan (lorazepam): This drug is designed to
assist people with panic disorders. It comes
in pill formats, but it can also be sold in a
liquid format that can be popped into veins
with a needle. EMCDDA says this particular
drug has a short-to-intermediate onset,
which means it could deliver a big and
rewarding drug rush to some users.
Ambien (zolpidem): This hypnotic drug is
made to assist people who can’t sleep
through the night. The sedating impact of
the drug allows people to fall asleep, while
other ingredients help people to forget what
happens while they’re asleep. This drug has
a fast onset, but it isn’t always a target of
abuse, as some people grow so sleepy on
this drug that they can’t stay awake long
enough to take another hit.

Learn About Specific Benzodiazepines &

Related Drugs

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Who Abuses Benzos?

While benzodiazepines were originally
developed in order to help people with real
mental health or physical health concerns,
people who abuse these drugs aren’t doing so
in order to make their lives better. Instead,
they’re driven to use these drugs because of
chemical changes deep inside the brain.

People who deal with this issue tend to fall into

one of two groups: those with prescriptions
and those without prescriptions. According to
an analysis in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
, addiction is rarely a consequence of proper
use of these drugs. When people have
prescriptions and they follow doctors’ orders to
the letter, they typically don’t emerge from the
experience with addictions.

However, there are people who don’t follow

doctors’ orders. They might take doses too
close together, or they might take doses that
are much too large. They might take pills when
they’re no longer needed, or they might hoard
pills in order to take them on a “bad day.”  This
may be a small group of users, researchers
say, but the impact of their habits can be huge.

how-are-benzos-abused

The other users are recreational users. They

don’t have prescriptions from doctors or
specific orders to follow. They get the drugs
when and where they can, and they abuse the
drugs for euphoric or relaxation purposes.
These users might also take in
benzodiazepines in order to boost or soften
the drug-using experience.

Analysis of statistics from New York from the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration suggests that non-medical
benzo users are between ages 18-25. That
group of people has the highest level of
recreational use, and that level seems to go up
each and every year.

These young adults might get benzos through

theft, or they might buy them directly from
dealers. Either is a viable method.

We understand what you are going

through.

We connect with thousands of people

every month who are suffering from
addiction. Some of our navigators are
even in recovery themselves. We will
listen to your story and give you an
opportunity to be heard. Learn more
about our navigators.

Call (888) 969-5179

Why call us?

Convincing a Loved One

to Attend Rehab
Addictions work at the subconscious level.
People with an obsession with benzos aren’t
making the choice to seek out and abuse these
drugs. Their damaged brain cells prompt them
to get and take more benzos. But the
conscious mind is still at work in people like
this. By reaching out to that conscious mind,
families may be able to influence deep change.

An intervention helps families to outline the

symptoms of benzo addiction they’ve seen in
the person they love. Interventions also let
these families enumerate the benefits of drug
rehab. At the end of a conversation like this, a
person with an addiction won’t be able to deny
the problem or its solution. A person with an
addiction will know just what must be done in
order to make the situation better.

Interventions for benzos typically follow this

format:

The person with the addiction is invited to a

meeting with family members and friends.
Every person in the meeting brings a
prepared speech that discusses changes
seen, memories of the drug-free past, and
hopes
for the future.
Everyone reads their letters while the person
with the addiction listens.
As soon as the person with the addiction
agrees to get treatment, the meeting ends.

An interventionist is a mental health

professional that can assist with these
conversations. The interventionist may help the
family to draw up letters, and the person might
stay involved during the conversation. When
the talk is over, that interventionist may also
drive or transport the addicted person to a
treatment facility.

Benzo Treatment &

Rehab
The chemical changes benzos can cause can
also trigger life-threatening complications
when people attempt to get sober. An analysis
in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
suggests that about a third of people who take
benzos for longer than six months can
experience insomnia, muscle spasms, tension,
and/or hypersensitivity. Without treatment,
these symptoms can escalate into full-body
seizures.

Inpatient programs can provide monitoring

during medical detox. That means symptoms
can be spotted and addressed before they
have a chance to grow, spread, and escalate.
This around-the-clock care is hard for families
to provide, but it’s a standard of treatment in
an inpatient center.

Inpatient programs can also provide trained,

qualified staff to run counseling and coaching
sessions. That’s the work that can help people
learn to spot their benzo use triggers, and
when that work is done, they’ll be able to
return to their communities with the skills
they’ll need in order to stay sober for good.

Inpatient programs don’t have to be clinical

and impersonal. Many provide home-like
amenities and comfortable surroundings, so
people can heal in environments that both
soothe and protect. For some people, it’s an
ideal place in which to get better.

Handling an Addiction
Benzo addictions don’t simply disappear.
Symptoms tend to grow more and more
severe, as long as they’re not addressed in a
comprehensive manner. That’s why it’s vital for
families to take action when they see benzo
abuse unfolding in someone they love. The
information families provide, and the solutions
they outline, could make all the difference to a
person in need. With help, that person could
find a sobriety that sticks.

Other Classes of Prescription Drugs

Opiates
Barbiturates
Stimulants
Narcotic Drugs
Prescription Drugs

Last Updated on July 19, 2022

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About The Contributor

Editorial Staff
Author, American
Addiction Centers

The editorial staff of American Addiction Centers is

made up of credentialed clinical reviewers with
hands-on experience in or expert knowledge of
addiction treatment. Read More

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