Valium, with the non-branded name Diazepam, is a benzodiazepine used to combat anxiety, seizures, and muscle spasms.
It is also commonly used as a way of treating alcohol withdrawal, calming symptoms and providing relief.
Valium is only available via prescription, and this is because it has a high abuse potential.
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When consumed, Valium increases the levels of gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) in the brain.
GABA is a chemical associated with feelings of calm and relaxation, giving Valium its ability to soothe the negative symptoms listed above.
However, if taken on a regular or excessive basis, individuals can become hooked on the effects of GABA.
Their brain can become so used to its pleasurable impact that it becomes unable to cope without it.
Similarly, the body can develop such a tolerance for Valium that it requires higher doses of it in order to experience the same effects of GABA time and time again.
When the drug is taken away, the body can go into chemical imbalance, demanding the drug on a daily basis in order to function. This is known as a physical dependence.
Not everyone is at equal risk of developing a mental or physical dependence on Valium.
There are several risk factors which can influence every person’s vulnerability, increasing the abuse risk for certain people.
Those with a family history of Valium addiction are predisposed to have a higher likelihood of becoming addicted.
Genes do not determine that addiction is inevitable, but subtly influence an individual’s relationship with the drug.
For example, genetics can play a role in how our brain reacts to Valium, how likely we are to develop a physical dependency on it, and how we experience withdrawal.
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The attitudes of our parents, wider family, and culture can shape our relationship with Valium.
If we are raised in an environment that perceives it as a normal substance to use frequently, we will be more likely to become dependent on it.
Also, if our culture encourages the use of medications like Valium and downplays the associated risks, we will be less inclined to take caution when using them regularly.
One of Valium’s primary functions is to soothe anxiety.
If an individual has other mental health conditions that are also eased by using the drug, they will be more inclined to use it more often or beyond the prescribed period.
Getting hooked on Valium can be catastrophic for an individual’s life and wellbeing.
If they develop a dependency for it, some of the potential dangers they can face include:
When an individual develops an addiction to Valium, it is essential that they undergo Valium detox.
In this treatment, individuals gradually reduce their Valium consumption in order to slowly introduce their body to sobriety.
Valium detox is best completed within a rehab treatment centre and under the supervision of doctors and experts.
This is so that the rate of consumption can be decreased in a measured process that doesn’t upset the body too much and spark dangerous withdrawal.
The objective of Valium detox is to get an individual completely sober and to diminish their physical craving to consume the drug.
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The importance of Valium detox cannot be overstated. It plays a primary role in alleviating individuals from the grip that addiction has on them.
Firstly, Valium detox provides an infrastructure of support around an individual to ensure that their reduction in Valium use is both safe and effective.
The extent of supervision ensures nothing can go wrong and that an individual feels calm and comfortable.
When it comes to the journey of rehab, detox is the first huge step in beating Valium dependency.
Without relief from the physical demand to use a drug, an individual cannot focus on working through the underlying motivations they have for addictive behaviour.
The body does not respond well when it no longer has access to a substance that it has been receiving on a regular basis.
When individuals go through Valium detox, this kind of physical response is expected in the form of severe withdrawal symptoms.
And withdrawal isn’t just physical. The mind can react in aggressive ways as the chemical and hormonal levels within the brain are sent into flux.
Common symptoms caused during detox include [1]:
If left untreated, individuals can expect to experience Valium withdrawal for around 10 to 14 days.
Individuals first begin experiencing withdrawal symptoms within the first 24 hours of being sober.
Factors like the severity of an individual’s addiction and their body’s metabolism can impact this estimate, with some not experiencing symptoms for up to 3 or 4 days.
These first few days of withdrawal are categorised under the acute stage of withdrawal.
Physical symptoms tend to manifest at this point, as well as anxiety and cravings for Valium.
Following this, the next few days are referred to as general withdrawal. Symptoms will continue to develop and reach their peak of severity during this phase.
Not until around the 10th or 14th day of detox do symptoms calm and subside.
Some individuals will experience Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) and see their symptoms last for an extended period following this initial withdrawal phase.
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There are a diverse number of withdrawal symptoms associated with Valium detox because everyone is affected differently when they quit the drug.
In addition, individuals can experience these same symptoms in different strengths and for different durations.
This variety arises from severity factors which influence each and every person’s unique experience of withdrawal.
The severity of an individual’s dependency on Valium is by far one of the biggest influences on withdrawal experience.
Those who have taken Valium consistently over the span of years will have a more developed dependency than those who have taken it for a few weeks.
As a result, the body subjected to years of Valium abuse will have much more of a reliance on its presence and therefore much more progress to make in order to achieve stable sobriety.
Its reaction will be much more violent and trigger more dangerous withdrawal.
Just as the genes we inherit can impact our susceptibility to developing an addiction, they can play a large part in determining how severely we experience withdrawal.
Some individuals might inherit genes that make their bodies and/or brains more sensitive the fluctuations triggered by sobriety, meaning they react in much more aggressive ways to slight changes in Valium levels.
The state of health an individual is in prior to withdrawal can massively impact how their body and mind will respond to the process of getting sober.
Those with health conditions that affect the heart, lungs, and muscles might find that withdrawal exacerbates any pains, aches, or complications they usually live with.
The same goes for mental health. Those who live with anxiety, depression, or another mental health condition with negative symptoms might find that withdrawal makes them much more intense.
Valium is a benzodiazepine, a category of drug often used to treat addiction withdrawal.
Using another form of benzodiazepine to treat withdrawal of Valium might seem illogical, but in some situations, it can prove immensely helpful to recovery.
Valium detox will prioritise trying to quit substance use without the introduction of any other kind of drug.
However, if an individual is struggling with how their body and mind are responding to sobriety, a careful substitution can be attempted.
This sees another benzodiazepine such as Librium being provided to reduce withdrawal and give some essential relief to aid detox.
Consumption is tightly controlled by doctors to ensure that the benefits are obtained without a substitute dependency forming.
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Once an individual has worked through Valium detox and succeeded in getting their body to function independently, they enter a very important phase of beating their addiction.
Physical sobriety is a major milestone in treatment, but it is not enough by itself.
Individuals often feel pushed into frequent or excessive Valium consumption by troubling thoughts, feelings, and social situations.
If these triggers are not identified and worked through, they will fall back into addictive tendencies when they return home.
For this reason, detox should be followed by a phase of therapy.
Individuals can access a wide range of treatment options, with the objective being to isolate their triggers, understand how and why they influence behaviour, and develop coping mechanisms.
Below, we list some of the therapies that might be used to help combat Valium abuse:
CBT aims to identify thought processes and perceptions of the world that consistently lead to Valium consumption.
A therapist then encourages an individual to consider how they can better handle such thoughts.
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DBT prioritises emotions that prove so difficult to process that individuals turn to drugs in order to sedate them.
It seeks patterns between emotions and Valium abuse, and supports individuals in talking through and finding better ways of dealing with their feelings.
Talking to others also combatting Valium dependence, individuals within group therapy can share and learn in order to gain a greater perspective of the recovery process.
It also gives them a sense of belonging, allowing them to feel safe and heard among peers.
In order to alleviate the extent to which an individual relies on Valium, holistic therapy seeks to lift their wellbeing and provide them with other sources of enjoyment, satisfaction, and happiness.
Such therapy can use a range of beneficial activities, including exercise and art.
Bringing relatives into the therapeutic environment, this treatment seeks to work through tensions, disputes, and disagreements that push individuals into Valium abuse.
By having relatives present, it seeks to create long-term change and limit relapse potential.
At Rehab 4 Addiction, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard can be to change your relationship with addiction.
Simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 140 4690.
After completing therapy, an individual will have completed the rehab experience and be ready for returning home and continuing with their life.
However, this does not necessarily mean that their engagement with treatment must come to an end.
Following treatment, they have the opportunity to receive aftercare.
This extends support into the weeks and months following Valium detox and looks to ensure that the progress an individual has made is preserved and built upon in the future.
Aftercare can take on many different forms. Therapy sessions can be attended in their local community, both on a one-to-one basis and as part of a group.
Meetings with a medical professional can also be arranged to talk through healthy living and sustaining physical sobriety.
Detoxing at home is usually not recommended given how dangerous Valium withdrawal can be without the support of doctors and medications.
However, home detox programmes are available which make this option a bit more viable.
Costing around £1,500, home detox programmes deliver benzodiazepines to an individual’s home.
This enables them to detox without the fear of withdrawal symptoms causing them severe pain or discomfort.
In order to track and adjust progress, individuals attend meetings with a specialist.
These function as an opportunity for individuals to communicate how they feel about the process and get some advice as to how to keep going.
Of course, the primary benefit to this method of Valium detox is that it grants individuals the freedom to carry on with their lives.
With the provision of medication, they can work or attend school without the fear of withdrawal taking over.
However, only certain conditions can be treated via home detox.
Unless individuals have only used Valium for a short period of time, their withdrawal will likely be far too severe for remote support and low medication doses to manage.
Understanding Valium addiction is one thing, but being able to identify it in the real world is a completely different challenge.
Denial is incredibly common among substance abusers [2], so it is not easy to recognise when you are actually practicing unhealthy habits.
The same also goes for identifying the condition in others.
Denial can mean friends and family members give no indication that they are struggling, and efforts to hide the extent of their Valium use can make it really hard to notice when addiction has manifested itself.
But in spite of these problems, addiction needs to be identified so that the negative symptoms can be treated and the condition can be worked through.
So how are you supposed to spot Valium addiction?
Some of the most common signs include:
Of course, it can be almost impossible to recognise changes in your own behaviour.
Noticing an increased tolerance, a growing isolation, or a shift towards more risky behaviours can be difficult to spot in ourselves, so there is another technique available for determining the need for Valium detox.
The CAGE questionnaire is a tool which helps individuals identify addictive tendencies in their own behaviour.
It sees them ask themselves four questions, with ‘yes’ answers indicating that they might benefit from Valium detox.
These questions are:
Noticing that a loved one has slipped into Valium addiction can be really stressful.
Understanding the symptoms and long-term effects, you will want them to seek help as soon as possible, but how can you help them do that? You have several options.
Approaching your loved one and talking to them can be the most gentle and intimate option at your disposal.
A one-to-one discussion avoids the risk of overwhelming them, and it provides you the opportunity to calmly explain your concern.
Speaking in private, this option increases the chances of your loved one being honest, as well as grants the opportunity for you to convince them to consider your worries if they are resistant at first.
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Simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 140 4690.
If you suspect that a private conversation would not be impactful enough to make your loved one see the danger they are in, you might want to consider an intervention.
For this event, you will need to arrange for an individual’s closest friends and family to meet at a specific time and place, prepared to talk to them about their Valium abuse.
Each attendee must come prepared with how the addiction has affected them.
Following a supportive line of argument, interventions aim to demonstrate to an individual the extent of their addiction’s effects and encourage them to admit that Valium detox and therapy is the right course to take.
Of course, these events can fail, with an individual feeling attacked and rejecting everyone’s concerns.
To prepare for this outcome, attendees must be united in their response.
An effective option is to withhold certain luxuries to steer the individual towards help.
If arranging an event would likely result in failure, interventions can be approached from a different angle.
With the CRAFT approach, friends and family unite instead to create a reward system around an individual which promotes healthy behaviours and punishes those that reinforce Valium dependency.
This works to replace the positive associations an individual has with Valium use and encourage them to see treatment and sobriety as the more beneficial option.
In the event that you are unsure of what option you should use to help your loved one, you always have the ability to seek further support.
By getting in ouch with your GP, an addiction helpline, or Rehab 4 Addiction at 0800 140 4690., you can ask questions regarding your specific circumstances and get tailored advice and guidance as to the best route forward.
You can have so many questions about Valium addiction, Valium detox, and whether you are in need of help.
Facing the reality of addiction can be a really distressing experience, but you are not alone in your recovery journey.
At Rehab 4 Addiction, we have a dedicated team who are ready to help you get your road to recovery underway.
Whether you want more information about Valium detox, what treatment providers exist in your local area, or are scared about withdrawal, we can help.
At Rehab 4 Addiction, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard can be to change your relationship with addiction.
Simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 140 4690.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657308/
[2] http://pure-oai.bham.ac.uk/ws/files/25519189/DENIAL_PICKARD_M_L_FINAL_PRE_PROOF.pdf
