Fort Lauderdale Benzo Detox Program
In our nation’s current battle with opiate abuse, addiction, and overdose, a lot of attention is paid to the dangers of prescription painkillers. However, opiate addiction treatment professionals know that such drugs are rarely consumed by themselves; many addicts mix painkillers with other drugs like alcohol and benzos, which can foster addiction and dependence in their own right and require specialized detox programs to aid in recovery.
Benzodiazepines are drugs like Xanax, Valium, and Ativan, which work to slow down overactive brain functions in order to relieve anxiety and/or stress. They’re usually prescribed to hospital inpatients, given the ease with which users can develop tolerance and dependence, but, still, more than fifty million prescriptions are issued to the public each year.
While benzos are rarely described as an addict’s go-to drug of choice, when taken in high enough dosages they can create sensational effects similar to alcohol. Taking such high doses almost always leads to physical dependence, wherein users require a certain amount of benzos in their system in order to feel normal and avoid symptoms of withdrawal.
Benzo Addiction: Signs and Symptoms
When abused in large doses, benzos create alcohol-like symptoms in the user: drowsiness, slurred speech, mood swings, reduced inhibition, and the loss of motor skills and coordination, all accompanied by feelings of euphoria, which go hand in hand with slowed brain function. In the long term, benzo abuse can cause permanent damage to the brain, resulting in memory loss or forgetfulness akin to dementia.
When the brain’s chemistry is thus altered, the consumer can become physically dependent on benzodiazepines. As with other types of drug addiction, the dependent person will typically stop at nothing in order to find and use their next round of benzos. Due to the way they interact with the body and brain, benzos are one of the most dangerous drugs from which to detox.
Safe Benzo Detox in Fort Lauderdale
It is never a good idea to attempt to detox from benzodiazepines without professional medical assistance, as the symptoms of withdrawal from this type of drug go beyond discomfort and may cause physical injury leading to death if the addict is not attended to properly. This is not a drug that can be quit “cold turkey.” Withdrawal symptoms include, but are not limited to:
- Moderate to severe seizures
- Hallucinations and night terrors
- Psychosis and delusional thinking
- Restlessness and disorientation
- Intense joint and muscle pain
- Coma or death
As such, detox from benzodiazepine should always be undertaken at drug rehab centers like Florida Coast Recovery, where the addict can undergo treatment with anti-seizure and antipsychotic medications to lessen the damaging impact of the drug leaving the body. Benzo detox can last up to two weeks, but, under the supervision of medical professionals, the risks of injury, coma, and death are drastically minimalized, as well as the general discomfort off detoxification.
If someone you love or you are currently in the grips of benzo addiction, call Florida Coast Recovery today at 954-990-7101 and speak to a medical professional about our detox program before it’s too late.