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A Brief Background on Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines (or benzos) are a class of fast-acting drugs that primary healthcare professionals commonly prescribe for anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia. The most common ones you must have seen are Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan, and Valium. Their mechanism of action is by binding to certain receptors in the brain, which results in a feeling of relaxation or tranquility. If you are searching for New Jersey benzo rehab centers, then you’ve come to the right place.
Benzos are prescribed as pills to be swallowed, which addicts may use in ways that increase their potency, such as crushing before snorting or injecting. After taking only normal doses, users could become addicted in as soon as four months. Benzodiazepine addiction has been observed among all age groups in America, from teens to elderly adults. As of 2015, overdose deaths in the United States involving benzodiazepines alone is seven times what it was a decade and a half ago. Statistics from the New Jersey Substance Abuse Monitoring System revealed 69,477 treatments for substance abuse in 2015, 48,640 of which were unique. Many of the treatments for substance abuse also involved at least one benzodiazepine.
Benzo Addiction Treatment
Addiction treatment for benzodiazepines is multi-faceted as the circumstances surrounding addiction vary. Residential (in-patient) treatment provides the most intensive addiction treatment. It is ideal for chronic users who have been unsuccessful in recovering after several less intensive approaches to treatment. Intensive outpatient treatment is ideal for recovering addicts who have undergone detox, a short period of inpatient treatment, and whose responsibilities do not allow for long-term commitments. Addiction treatment starts with detoxification under the supervision of experts and is usually followed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is employed to identify and treat the root cause of addiction and prepare the recovering addict for lasting sobriety.
Benzo Withdrawal Symptoms
The addictive nature of benzos makes the user elicit withdrawal symptoms after as little as one month of use. Yes, that even includes users on small therapeutic doses. People who take benzos for longer than six months will experience some or all of the withdrawal symptoms. About 4 in 10 long-term users experience moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms when they go cold turkey while the other 6 in 10 users experience mild symptoms. The severity of withdrawal symptoms varies with several factors such as dosage, length of use, number of benzos used, use of similar drugs as well as other substances of abuse. They include:
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Hand tremors
- Muscle spasms
- Headache
- Sweating
- Racing pulse
- Hyperventilation
- Nausea or vomiting
- Aches and pains
- Panic attacks
We are here to help men and women struggling with benzo addiction. Our resource center offers the best recommendations for overcoming benzodiazepine dependence. Start healing from substance abuse with our help today.
Find Benzo Addiction Treatment in New Jersey
An experienced addiction therapist considers the underlying brain mechanisms driving addiction, the resulting self-destructive behaviors as well as underlying stressors and triggers. With this understanding, they can make an informed decision to develop a comprehensive treatment plan for a recovering benzo addict.
Addiction treatment should be structured and therapeutic sessions conducted with these goals in mind. Thus, you should start your treatment where the program experience will help you best. NJ Addiction Resources is a partner of top successful in-state treatment centers, where your treatment needs are evaluated, and a personalized approach to treatment is designed just for you. We will be happy to discuss your unique needs for in-town addiction treatment. Call us now.