Benzodiazepines are a form of medication. They have a sedative effect, which means that they delay the working of the mind and body.
Benzodiazepines are typically prescribed for conditions such as anxiety and insomnia.
They help with anxiety by calming you down; they help with insomnia by making you more tired and more able to get to sleep.
To better understand the nature of benzodiazepine use disorder, it’s important to know the difference between “dependence” and “addiction”. Not only will understanding these nuances inform someone’s understanding of their condition, but it can also educate them on the behaviours of a loved one.
In the early days of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, addiction referred specifically to physical symptoms and reliance. The term dependence was established in opposition to this: describing only the psychological element of SUD.
However, these terms were quickly updated to reflect the complex, misunderstood nature of SUD: a condition that affects people in myriad ways. Now, the two terms have been updated to reflect these complexities
At their core, dependence and addiction are caused by changes in different parts of the brain. While addiction stems from changes in the reward system of the brain, dependence is caused by changes in the brain stem and thalamus.
For instance, when a person takes a benzodiazepine for anxiety every day for several weeks, the brain adapts to the presence of the drug. In this case, he, she or they have become dependent on the benzo and rely on it to function normally.
While withdrawal symptoms may occur when they stop taking the substance, these are easier to overcome.
As dependence and tolerance continue to build, the individual is at serious risk of developing an addiction. Akin to dependence, this compulsive, overriding substance use is caused by physical changes in the brain.
Due to alterations in the motivation and reward areas of the brain, addicted individuals value benzodiazepines above all else. These individuals receive unrivalled happiness when they consume the substance at the cost of activities, people, or things that they love.
In the context of benzodiazepine detox, it’s therefore important to identify whether an individual is suffering from an addiction or a dependency.
While individuals who are benzo-dependent may suit a less intensive detox strategy (e.g. outpatient care), those with an addiction should consider safely withdrawing from the dug at an inpatient detox centre.
Whether someone abuses benzodiazepines for recreational reasons or has become medically dependent on the drug, detox is always recommended. The detox process can take anywhere from several days, to several months: and involves the gradual tapering (reduction) of benzodiazepine levels in the body.
Without proper medical supervision, benzodiazepine detox can be uncomfortable at best, and life-threatening at most: with many addicted individuals at risk of seizures and suicidal ideations.
While short-acting benzos (Xanax, Halcion) trigger severe withdrawal symptoms, long-acting benzos ( Valium, Librium) trigger less intense withdrawal symptoms and are easier to manage.
However, Any benzodiazepine user is at risk of developing anxiety, insomnia, and vomiting in the first 48 hours post-consumption. Those trying to detox alone may also experience flu-like symptoms.
As a result, undertaking a medically supervised benzodiazepine detox is optimal. Should someone opt to detox at an inpatient rehab centre, they will receive professional treatment delivered by a team of highly-qualified medical staff.
Here, psychiatrists and specialists help individuals decrease their benzodiazepine dosage for the duration of their recovery programme. This tapering technique is utilised alongside tried and tested medications, as well as emotional support such as counselling.
As everyone experiences different levels of withdrawal symptoms, it’s crucial to receive a personalised detox programme. These clinically-designed strategies are informed by any comorbidity, pre-existing health issues, poly-drug use, addiction severity, and treatment preferences.
While details are changed according to the individual, the following points represent a basic structure for benzodiazepine detox:
Mental health disorders often co-occur with substance addictions: and those battling benzodiazepine misuses aren’t exempt from this pattern.
Also known as comorbidity or dual diagnosis, this phenomenon when someone suffers from a substance use disorder (SUD) and a mental health disorder either one after the other or simultaneously.
It is often noted by clinicians that benzodiazepines are among the most commonly prescribed CNS depressant medications to treat anxiety disorders.
While these drugs can be effective in relieving symptoms, they can also mean someone is at a higher risk of developing SUD. As their tolerance grows, they may need more of their benzodiazepine to relieve anxiety symptoms: a dangerous path towards addiction.
Moreover, there is evidence to suggest that many mental health illnesses can derive from benzodiazepine use disorders. Like alcohol, using benzodiazepines in the long term will act on the brain’s GABA systems, which can result in depressive symptoms.
Eventually, this may induce a depressive disorder, especially in someone who is already vulnerable to such disorders.
With this in mind, it’s important to realise that comorbidity poses additional risks during the detoxification process.
For someone with a pre-existing mental illness, there’s a chance they may experience rebound symptoms during withdrawal, whereby the symptoms that benzos were originally prescribed to treat return tenfold.
This makes it crucial to obtain a proper evaluation and access personalised treatment as part of your benzodiazepine detox. A doctor or psychiatrist specialising in addiction can provide you with a dual diagnosis, and build a detox plan based on this diagnosis.
Before beginning their benzodiazepine detox or finding a professional to facilitate the process, individuals must be properly diagnosed.
Consultants utilise a variety of diagnostic tools and placement criteria to build appropriate detox plans: many of which can be accessed in the form of a self-assessment.
However, referring to the following criterion without the presence of a healthcare professional may lead to misunderstanding.
Therefore, individuals concerned about their benzo use should use these self-assessments as a guideline only, and seek clinical assistance as soon as possible.
This taxonomic and diagnostic tool was published in 2013 by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and has served as an important classification ever since.
The DSM-5 was developed by clinical authorities as a handbook for diagnosing, investigating, and optimising the treatment of mental health illnesses and substance use disorders.
As such, benzodiazepine use disorder has its manual within the handbook. Here, clinicians can refer to the 11 symptoms of benzodiazepine addiction and use them as a guideline for potential diagnosis.
The components of hazardous use are found in The DSM-5 as follows:
Another useful feature of the DSM-5 guideline for benzodiazepine addiction is that each symptom is placed into one of four categories.
The handbook describes these as hazardous use (using benzos in risky situations and settings), physical addiction (experiencing adverse symptoms), social problems (relationships affected by drug abuse), and impaired control (being unable to stop taking a benzodiazepine)
In general, if the subject or their clinician identifies more than one symptom on the above criteria, further investigation or treatment is needed. The more DSM-5 symptoms that they recognise, the more clinically significant the result, and therefore the closer they are to having a diagnosable substance use disorder.
For example, someone who recognises between one and three symptoms should be concerned about their benzodiazepine consumption but may not require urgent medical attention.
However, those with scores of six and over may be experiencing a severe benzodiazepine addiction and will require an inpatient detox followed by rehabilitation.
Addiction specialists will then utilise placement criteria to ensure each patient receives the best care for their unique circumstances. This guarantees a level of personalisation throughout the treatment process, alongside a patient’s placement at a leading UK-based clinic.
When patients have been identified as needing treatment to help them recover from benzodiazepine addiction, the ASAM criteria are employed for a deeper assessment. Currently, in its third edition as of 2013, the ASAM is a gold standard text for providing treatment placement and continued, integrated care for substance use disorders.
In its collection of written objective guidelines, the ASAM describes six points that clinicians must consider when planning a patient’s benzodiazepine detox and further treatment.
The following articles are comprehensive criteria of physical, psychological, behavioural, and emotional factors for gauging addiction severity.
After their thorough assessment has been performed, patients are assigned a “level” of severity. The ASAM levels 1-4 decide the type of addiction treatment facility that would best suit a patient during their benzodiazepine detox.
They are outlined as:
Those with a level of dependence deemed mild enough for outpatient detox may be given a 1 or 2. In contrast, severe cases of benzodiazepine use disorder are prescribed for immediate inpatient care.
When patients have withdrawn from benzodiazepines and remain with long-term withdrawal symptoms, they have likely developed a condition described as Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) or Benzodiazepine Protracted Withdrawal Syndrome (PWS) For these individuals, adverse symptoms will persist for months or even years, hence forming a “protracted” illness.
The protracted symptoms experienced by PWS sufferers occur due to a major functional change within the neuroreceptors and areas of the central nervous system that benzodiazepines alter.
While PWS symptoms usually resolve within 6–18 months of the last dose, some individuals will recover more quickly, while others may take longer to recuperate from the condition.
Since the first recorded cases of PWS, addiction experts have conducted research into what exactly causes this severe illness. Clinical trends have expressed that the risk is especially high for those who opt for a cold-turkey approach over slowly tapering their drug use.
There also may be a gene expression phenomenon that causes someone experiencing generalised withdrawal to develop PWS. However, further clinical research is needed to determine the validity of these claims.
As benzodiazepine detox is the first stage of recovery, it’s vital to get the process right: which involves exploring the myriad treatment options and deciding which one best fits your needs. Unfortunatley, many individuals attempt to detox at home without the assistance of a professional or a medical opinion.
While home detox is a viable option for some benzodiazepine users, it is by no means a completely safe option. Before committing to this strategy, it’s therefore crucial to weigh up the pros and cons of detoxing in the home environment.
In discussing the efficacy and safety of undertaking benzodiazepine detox at home, the first point to consider is withdrawal. The withdrawal symptoms associated with Benzos are psychologically and physically painful, and can even be fatal when an individual ceases using without taking the appropriate precautions.
Many addicted individuals lack the medical knowledge of Benzo withdrawal needed to effectively manage their condition, and as a result, will try to quit on their terms. This is often undertaken without a tapering schedule: causing immense discomfort to occur.
The most common withdrawal symptoms experienced due to cold-turkey approaches include anxiety, agitation, flu-like symptoms, and sleep disturbances.
As previously explored, this lack of clinical supervision can increase someone’s risk of developing post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS): especially among those with a history of taking high doses or taking benzodiazepines long-term.
Harrowingly, this makes the chances of relapse (reusing benzodiazepines) higher in home detoxification settings than in outpatient or inpatient environments. Without professional help, the only way addicted individuals can escape withdrawal symptoms is to re-consume the benzodiazepine that they were attempting to quit.
Individuals battling a benzodiazepine addiction might want to detox at home for a variety of reasons: from having the in-person support of loved ones to retaining their privacy.
However, due to the severe nature of benzo withdrawal, home detox is only recommended in a few circumstances, and the eligibility criteria are strict to ensure addicted individuals remain safe.
For their home detox to be a safe procedure, addicted individuals must have someone they trust to accompany them. Ideally, this should be a close family member or friend that accompanies them throughout the entire detox programme. They’ll be on hand to ensure the individual is comfortable, safe, and emotionally supported.
It’s also important that the individual has been clinically diagnosed with mild benzodiazepine addiction. This means undertaking a formal health evaluation wherein a clinician deems your risk of withdrawal to be low.
They’ll also ask whether you’ve ever experienced seizures or fits, as this puts you at risk of the more severe benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms. Even if the patient is otherwise healthy, they may still need to collect prescription medication and visit a doctor’s office to check on the process of their detox.
These strict criterion has been put in place to keep addicted individuals safe, and it’s important to follow professional advice when looking to recover from benzodiazepine use disorder.
To explore your options for detox and get started on the road to recovery, you can call a member of our expert team on 0800 140 4690.
They’ll organise your free health consultation with one our of addiction consultants.
There are two main types of benzodiazepine detox strategies available for UK residents outside of the home recovery option. These are outpatient and inpatient modalities, and the style you are prescribed by a professional will depend on your severity.
This is because, while outpatient detox methods require less of the individual, inpatient methods are more intensive.
Also known as “residential centres”, inpatient treatment provides food and accommodation while individuals withdraw from the benzodiazepine that they are addicted to. As such, the medical supervision provided is available 24/7, meaning that patients have their every need taken care of.
Due to the intensity and comprehensive treatment received by inpatients, this form of detox is often considered to be the most effective.
Its efficacy is boosted by the follow-up care provided, and the complimentary therapies received during the process. These include counselling, Holistic Therapies, and Motivational Interviewing (MI).
Alongside nutritional and therapeutic support, inpatients will receive medical solutions for any withdrawal symptoms they begin to experience.
This is known as Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT): a strategy that uses medication to help patients get over the worst portions of benzodiazepine withdrawal before following up with medication management and behavioural interventions.
When someone enrols on an inpatient detox programme, a specialist consultant will evaluate their benzodiazepine addiction, mental health, and physical health.
Once the assessment is complete, they’ll decide which type of medication the patient needs, if any, and create a bespoke treatment regimen.
This regimen also includes a bespoke benzodiazepine taper. This often starts with a 10-15% dosage reduction that is customized to suit the individual and their unique recovery journey.
Unlike outpatient benzodiazepine detox wherein patients receive a tapering schedule to adhere to, inpatients are monitored constantly: often creating a more comfortable experience.
While outpatient detox offers many of the same services provided by inpatient centres, individuals aren’t required to stay on the premises. This removes much of the cost accumulated during residential detox, meaning that outpatient care is provided on the NHS.
Participants will undergo their detox programmes as either intensive outpatients, or regular outpatients depending on how severe they are deemed to be by their case worker.
While some patients require daily visits to their doctor or detox facility to stabilise, others may succeed with weekly or bi-weekly visits.
Regardless of the programme intensity, they are assigned, each patient enjoys the same benefits of outpatient care. Highly functional participants don’t need to change their routine to withdraw from benzodiazepines and often continue working or attending education.
There’s also the reduced cost to consider, with many outpatient detox programmes available free of charge on the NHS.
However, the main problem with outpatient benzodiazepine detox is that subjects remain in their usual environment. In many cases, this is the environment that caused or allowed them to start using benzodiazepines in the first place.
With this increased risk of relapse, individuals considering an outpatient form of detox should carefully weigh up their eligibility, and seek a professional opinion. Starting treatment in a new environment is often conducive to recovery, especially one that is free from relapse triggers.
Moreover, many individuals will opt for outpatient care because it is less expensive, however, it’s important not to let your budget dictate your recovery. For those requiring intensive inpatient care, there are low-cost budget-friendly programmes in the UK.
Whether an addicted individual completes their benzodiazepine detox at home, as an inpatient, or on an outpatient basis, their success often depends on their tapering schedule.
Rather than abstaining suddenly, a doctor should closely monitor a patient’s situation and gradually reduce their daily dose until the benzodiazepine is no longer required to feel better.
Clinical supervision following a one-to-one evaluation is needed because no single dosing schedule works for each person. Some patients may reduce their benzodiazepine consumption safely in one week, while others will take several weeks to stabilise fully.
As such, addiction specialists consider each patient’s benzodiazepine usage, and personal addiction history, in addition to their unique personalities and life situation.
However, it’s common for most tapering schedules to start with a 5% to 30% reduction in dosage, before changing to suit the individual and their personalized detox programme. Depending on their severity, the patient’s either undertake a Long Taper Schedule, or a Short Taper Schedule.
As indicated by the name, during a shorter benzodiazepine taper schedule, someone’s dosage is reduced rapidly. On one hand, this might lead to more aggressive withdrawal symptoms such as psychological distress and seizures. However, a successful short taper means patients will withdraw sooner.
Addicted individuals can also undergo a loner tapering strategy, wherein doses are reduced more gradually throughout their benzodiazepine detox.
While this usually ensures fewer acute symptoms, recent research claims that it might be worse for your health to taper from benzodiazepines over months rather than weeks.
While forming a personalised tapering schedule, specialists take several important facets into account. This includes paying close attention to the amount of time someone has misused benzodiazepines, their living circumstances, and co-occurring disorders.
In addition to tapering schedules and MAT, another way to help manage withdrawal symptoms during detox is to eat healthily. Consuming a range of nutrient-rich foods goes a long way in helping detox participants feel better both physically and psychologically while they withdraw from benzodiazepines.
One of the first ways to optimise nutrition is to avoid sugary, artificial foods such as chocolate and confectionery. This is made difficult because those withdrawing from benzodiazepines and other drugs find they crave sugar during the process. This occurs as the brain searches for other sources of serotonin outside of benzodiazepine consumption.
As a result, patients should consume fresh fruit to satiate their compulsions to consume sugar. Not only do fruits hydrate the body, but they are also much kinder to the digestive system than artificial foods. This is particularly beneficial for those experiencing gastrointestinal withdrawal symptoms.
In addition, patients should ensure vegetables are a major feature of their detox diet. Foods such as kale, spinach and romaine lettuce digest gradually, preventing spikes in blood sugar, while containing beneficial vitamins and minerals and being high in fibre.
When conducting the initial health evaluation pre-detox, clinicians will decide which, if any, vitamin deficiencies their patient has. Blood test results will determine whether vitamin or mineral supplements are needed during someone’s benzodiazepine detox.
It’s common for those with a substance use disorder to have nutritional imbalances: particularly relating to iron levels, magnesium, and vitamins B, C, and D. Low levels of these minerals and vitamins can cause a range of adverse symptoms, including restless leg syndrome, heart palpitations, nausea, headaches, and extreme fatigue.
When compounded with general withdrawal symptoms, the situation can soon become overwhelmingly uncomfortable: making it crucial to address these deficiencies during detox.
Experiencing the symptoms of dehydration is, unfortunately, all too common among those undertaking their benzodiazepine detox. This is because withdrawal symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting cause the body to lose more fluid than it can take in.
Alternatively, some individuals enter their detox already dehydrated: having simply forgotten to drink water while intoxicated.
To prevent further damage and ensure they detox comfortably, patients should drink water slowly but frequently throughout their treatment and beyond.
Healthcare professionals will recommend an intake of one glass per hour in addition to taking rehydration salts to restore lost electrolytes and reduce symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, and tremors.
Having a family member, friend, or colleague who is addicted to benzodiazepines can be an incredibly upsetting, frustrating experience, and it can seem at times as if there is no help in sight. This is exacerbated when, contrary to their loved one’s wishes, the addicted individual refuses to enter treatment, initially through a benzodiazepine detox.
With countless families across the globe facing the same problem, many addiction treatment facilities recommend staging an intervention. During an intervention, a patient’s support network comes together and confronts the individual about their benzodiazepine use in a positive yet constructive demeanour.
Thankfully, it’s simple to access the resources needed to facilitate a professional intervention for your addicted loved one. Here at Rehab 4 Addiction, we’ll answer any questions you may have about planning the process: including how to access the support of a local interventionist.
The role of an interventionist is to enlist family and friends to encourage their addicted loved one to accept treatment for their condition. When guiding families through the process, interventionists use a tried and tested structure:
Although benzodiazepines are effective at treating anxiety and insomnia, they also carry a risk of dependence, much like opioids such as morphine.
Due to their addictive nature, benzodiazepines should not be prescribed for long periods. Ideally, benzodiazepines (or ‘benzos’ as they are sometimes known) should only be prescribed for between two to four weeks. Any longer risks creating a dependence which can be difficult to get rid of.
One of the problems with using benzodiazepines for longer periods is that you can start to develop a tolerance. This is when you need more and more benzodiazepines to achieve the same effect.
Usually, tolerance is a warning sign that you may be starting to become dependent.
Benzodiazepine use becomes problematic when the user starts taking more than the dose recommended by the doctor. This can rapidly lead to a benzodiazepine addiction.
In order to get rid of a benzodiazepine addiction, a detox will be required, generally using a careful taper method so as to minimise withdrawal symptoms.
Benzodiazepine withdrawal occurs when someone who has developed a physical dependence on benzodiazepine stops taking this medication.
Withdrawal from benzodiazepine brings about a set of symptoms known as withdrawal symptoms.
Acute withdrawal symptoms for benzodiazepine detox are:
Protracted withdrawal symptoms, which occur after the initial acute phase of benzodiazepine withdrawal, include:
There is a range of factors that can affect the length of time it takes for someone to withdraw from benzodiazepines.
According to one NHS leaflet, ‘attempting to withdraw patient from benzodiazepines should be a gradual process and may take from 3 months up to a year or longer’. [1]
However, if you only have a mild dependence on benzodiazepines, you may choose to quit outright, rather than tapering. If you do so, you will experience withdrawal symptoms fairly quickly.
Short-acting benzos such as Xanax (alprazolam) will start to cause withdrawal symptoms only six to eight hours after the last use.
Longer-acting benzos such as Valium (diazepam) will take a few days to produce withdrawal symptoms.
Withdrawal symptoms can affect anyone with a mild physical dependence on benzodiazepines.
This means that even someone who has been taking benzodiazepines as medication but does not consider themselves ‘addicted’, could experience these symptoms when they stop taking benzodiazepines.
Withdrawal symptoms are worst in those who go from taking large amounts of benzodiazepines to taking none at all in a short space of time.
It can be dangerous to your health to ‘go cold turkey’ on benzodiazepines if you have a severe addiction. It is much safer to taper down under the supervision of a doctor.
Benzodiazepines are a form of anxiety medication, and so-called ‘rebound anxiety’ is one of the withdrawal symptoms which is most common among people who have stopped taking this medication.
Rebound anxiety is when people suddenly begin to feel anxious after they stop taking benzodiazepines.
It can affect people who have had anxiety in the past, as well as people who have never experienced anxiety. It occurs because benzodiazepines have a sedative effect, which helps to calm people down.
When this sedative effect is removed, people find that they are more stressed, and need to find other ways to calm themselves down that do not involve medication.
Diazepam (brand name: Valium) has a longer half-life than other benzodiazepines, which means that it carries a lower risk of withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking it.
This is because it is longer-acting. With short-acting benzodiazepines, such as sleeping pills, your body does not have much time to get used to being without the medication. [2]
Complicating factors can impact the way someone withdraws from benzodiazepine.
For instance, if someone has been using benzodiazepines for a long time, it may be advisable for them to switch to diazepam rather than attempting to withdraw directly from another benzodiazepine, such as temazepam or nitrazepam.
Benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms can be quite unpleasant, so if possible, it is best to try and avoid them altogether.
If you have a very mild benzodiazepine dependence, you may want to stop using benzodiazepine without tapering, i.e. go cold turkey. In this case, you may still get some withdrawal symptoms, but they are unlikely to be severe.
You will probably experience some anxiety, for which your doctor may be able to prescribe some medication that is not a benzodiazepine. You may also experience some cravings; again, there are medications that your doctor can prescribe to ease these cravings.
Baclofen is one drug that has been used in this context. You can read more about Baclofen and its usage for benzodiazepine withdrawal here.
For those with more severe benzodiazepine addiction, tapering is likely to be your best option. A slow, gradual taper can keep withdrawal symptoms to a minimum.
You can read more about specific guidelines for tapering down from temazepam, zopiclone and diazepam here.
Benzodiazepine withdrawal can be a difficult process and should not be attempted if a patient is in very poor physical or mental health.
Doctors need to take into account how they are going to manage symptoms of anxiety or depression in a patient during this time, and whether the patient has any previous history of substance addiction.
It is important that the person going through withdrawal stays in contact with their doctor and lets them know exactly what their symptoms are. This will help the doctor to adjust their withdrawal schedule.
The patient should have regular consultations with their doctor so that the doctor can provide support and advice, as well as spot any problems before they become more severe.
Unfortunately, many people try and fail to quit benzodiazepines. The withdrawal process is long and can be difficult, especially if the person trying to quit suffers from anxiety and/or insomnia.
However, in the event of a lapse, doctors should remind their patients that they can always try again, and one lapse is not the same as a full relapse.
Once you have successfully weaned off benzodiazepines, you need to put measures in place to try to stop yourself from relapsing. Therapy is one of the best ways to do this. You can access therapy in benzodiazepine rehab.
During therapy, you will speak to a therapist about why you started to use benzodiazepines, and why you became addicted. They will help you to find more productive solutions to the problems which led to your addiction.
For instance, if you suffer from anxiety, they will discuss ways to manage that anxiety without resorting to benzodiazepines.
Rapid benzodiazepine withdrawal is not typically recommended, especially for those with more severe benzo addictions. This is because it can lead to intense withdrawal symptoms.
However, if you do wish to go through a rapid detox, you should have an idea of the withdrawal timeline:
One of the most common ways to detox from benzodiazepine is to taper down using longer-acting benzo; this helps to keep withdrawal symptoms at a minimum.
We’ve listed some of the most commonly-used long-acting benzos below:
A word of warning when taking any of the above diazepines: make sure you get the exact dose recommended by your doctor or physician.
When tapering, you should follow an exact plan with dosages for each day/month. Deviating from this plan significantly greatly increases your chance of either relapsing or suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
Other drugs used in benzodiazepine detox include Buspirone, which is used to soothe anxiety caused by benzo detox; and Flumazenil, which blocks benzo withdrawal symptoms and is also used to help people recover from a benzo overdose.
If you want to make a lasting recovery from benzodiazepine addiction, rehab is a very good option.
Rehab helps you to deal with the root causes of your addiction, through the medium of therapy. In rehab, you can access a range of different therapies for your benzo addiction.
These include:
Detoxing from benzodiazepines can be a time-consuming, difficult process. It requires medical supervision, and needs to be done carefully in order to avoid severe withdrawal symptoms.
For anyone wishing to detox from benzos, we would recommend that you seek professional help before doing so. Trying to detox from benzodiazepines alone could put your health at risk.
Despite the difficulty that comes with benzodiazepine detox, we would encourage anyone with a benzo habit to detox as soon as possible. Getting sober can turn your life around.
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2897895/
[1] Novel benzodiazepines: prevalence and harms in the UK Novel benzodiazepines: prevalence and harms in the UK – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
[2] Addiction to benzodiazepines and codeine Addiction to benzodiazepines and codeine – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
[3] Alprazolam (Xanax): What are the facts? Alprazolam (Xanax): What are the facts? – UK Health Security Agency (blog.gov.uk)
[4] Drug Misuse in England and Wales: Year Ending March 2020 https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/drugmisuseinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2020
[5] Adult Substance Misuse Treatment Statistics 2020 to 2021: Report https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/substance-misuse-treatment-for-adults-statistics-2020-to-2021/adult-substance-misuse-treatment-statistics-2020-to-2021-report
[6] Deaths Related to Drug Poisoning by Local Authority https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/drugmisusedeathsbylocalauthority
[7] Beyond Benzos: Benzo Addiction, Benzo Withdrawal, and Long-term Recovery from Benzodiazepines Beyond Benzos – Google Books
[8] The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook – Google Books
[9] Cognitive, Clinical, and Neural Aspects of Drug Addiction Cognitive, Clinical, and Neural Aspects of Drug Addiction – Google Books
[10] Overcoming Prescription Drug Addiction: A Guide to Coping and Understanding Overcoming Prescription Drug Addiction: A Guide to Coping and Understanding – Rod Colvin – Google Books
[11] Frontiers – Resocialising the Vulnerable Brain: Building an Ethically Sustainable Brain Disease Model of Addiction https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2018.00039/full#:~:text=The%20brain%20disea
[12] Alprazolam Addiction (Xanax), How I Won The Battle: A Detailed Account of Exactly how I Ended My Dependancy on Xanax Alprazolam Addiction (Xanax) How I Won The Battle – Google Books
[13] The ASAM Criteria ASAM – American Society of Addiction Medicine
[14] The DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria DSM-5 Criteria for Addiction Simplified (addictionpolicy.org)
[15] Inpatient Detoxification for Drug and Alcohol Dependency Inpatient Detoxification for Drug and Alcohol Dependency – Google Books
[16] Clinical Guidelines for Withdrawal Management and Treatment of Drug Dependence in Closed Settings Clinical Guidelines for Withdrawal Management and Treatment of Drug Depende… – Google Books
[17] Polydrug abuse: a review of opioid and benzodiazepine combination use Polydrug abuse: a review of opioid and benzodiazepine combination use – PubMed (nih.gov)
