- heavensarchitect4
Benzo Addiction
Updated: Apr 20, 2022
Cunning. Baffling. Powerful. Maybe the sneakiest of all drugs is the classification of substances known as benzodiazepines. The medical doctors of this country have had a lose hand when writing them and it's a generally accepted medication to be on amongst the public. What often goes unaddressed is the devastation and destruction that comes along with a benzo addiction. They aren't as powerful as the narcotics grabbing the headlines, but the withdrawals and consequences are equivalent. You will be given your first Xanax, Klonopin, or Valium bottle
and quickly discover their subtle and calm relief. At first, they are soothing. In the end, they are insidious. When I finally walked away from Xanax in favor of abstinence from all benzos, I had a grand-mal seizure and ended up in the hospital. That was only the beginning. It took my brain nearly 2 full months to adjust and return to normal. A word to the wise, try to avoid anything that messes with the GABA levels in your brain. You're asking for trouble when you start trying to override your central nervous system. Alcohol, opiates, and even meth users can expect to start feeling a sense of normalcy after a couple of weeks after detoxing. If you're on benzos, it's going to take months before you even start feeling like yourself again.
When I was 20 years old I decided it was a good idea to add Klonopin and Xanax to my routine of medications. What followed that appointment is what I like to call the lost decade. Years and years of hazy memories, sleeping all day, crashing countless cars, and existing in a state of foggy denial. Truth be told, I thought I had anxiety worst than most and needed to treat it with the most powerful thing money could buy, What I know now is 30 minutes of cardio a day, a purpose in life, and a spiritual routine treats my anxiety in a much better and more sustainable matter than anything the pharmacy ever gave me.
Over time that soothing effect vanished and I was handcuffed by a little white pill that promised me the world but ended up taking it away from me. Anxiety is just a normal part of life and learning how to deal with it in a healthy matter will give you a leg up on most of your peers.
- Justin Klebieko