Addiction to Xanax can be frightening because it's almost impossible to quit on your own. But how could something that feels so good be bad for you? It's bad for you because it is highly addicting. Progressively, you need more and more of the drug to feel the same effect that you felt in the beginning. Xanax is merciless. Once it sinks its tentacles into you, unless you get help, it will always have you.
Why is Xanax So Addicting?
One reason that Xanax is so addicting is because it is a benzodiazepine, or in layman's terms, a tranquilizer. Most people who try Xanax are taking it because they are going through a difficult time and having difficulty functioning. Xanax makes them feel better! They begin to take it every day - and then more every day. As they continue to increase their dosage, they become more and more dependent on it.
What's the Difference Between Abuse and Addiction?
The main difference between abuse and addiction is dependence. Addiction and dependence are two words for the same concept. If a person needs more and more Xanax to sustain the same peaceful feeling, he is addicted.
Is it Dangerous to Withdraw from Xanax?
Withdrawal from Xanax and all other benzodiazepines can be fatal. If you are addicted to Xanax and are thinking of quitting, SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE. I cannot stress this enough. You need to undergo what's called a "medical detox." Detox from benzodiazepines usually takes one to two weeks. In detox, your blood pressure and heart rate are monitored. You are closely watched to make sure that you don't go into convulsions. Before you hit that point, however, there are medications to stabilize you. Which makes being in a medical detox that much more important.
If you are addicted to Xanax or any other benzodiazepine, my heart goes out to you. At the age of 51, I ended a 39-year-run with tranquilizers, Xanax included. When I went into detox, I was taking enough tranquilizers each day to kill an elephant! My insurance plan only gave me a three-day detox, but it was better than nothing. Then I entered a two-week day program provided by my health plan. There I learned that addiction is not a character defect or weakness. The American Medical Association defines addiction as a disease because it is chronic, progressive, and ultimately fatal.
Don't Try to Stop on Your Own!
Again, I want to emphasize that you should not try to quit Xanax on your own. See a doctor or enter a drug rehabilitation facility. Make sure that they offer a medical detox. If you don't have health insurance, talk to someone at the Department of Health for your county. They will direct you to a state-funded rehabilitation program.
I Leave You With This:
I am giving you the link for the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Here you can find a place to get help with detox and rehabilitation.
If you are addicted to Xanax, you might want to click on this link or paste it into your browser. You can compile a list of places where you can get help. Then, when you are ready to get off Xanax, you will have some resources already at your disposal.
Treating Xanax addiction is safe when done in a medical detox facility. It is possible to overcome a Xanax addiction and learn to live without tranquilizers. Do yourself a favor and get help. You are suffering from a disease, but you can get better.
Jenna Pope has been working with addicts and alcoholics for the past seven years and writing for the past 13 years. She has been published online, in anthologies, and in topical and literary magazines. She is also a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor. Jenna is married to her soul mate, the mother of four children, and grandmother to four grandbabies. Jenna lives in Southern California with her husband and a houseful of spoiled pets.