How to Help Someone Suffering From Benzodiazepine Addiction?

There are people all around the country that are suffering from benzodiazepine addiction. If you know someone that has this type of addiction, it would be a good idea to learn how to best help them overcome it. The first step in doing this is to have a treatment center ready to call when or if they agree to get help. Here at Harmony Health Group, we can be there for them and you.

Types of Benzodiazepines

There are many different types of benzodiazepines that people are commonly addicted to. Some of these include:

  • Alprazolam
  • Clobazam
  • Diazepam
  • Clorazepate
  • Clonazepam
  • Lorazepam
  • Chlordiazepoxide
  • Triazolam
  • Temazepam

If you know anyone who is abusing these drugs, it is important for you to learn what you can about this type of drug abuse and addiction to it, as well.

Are Benzodiazepines Addictive

Yes, these are addictive drugs. The truth is that when people miss a dose or are even late on a dose, they may experience some severe withdrawal symptoms. If someone even starts to experience these symptoms, they may take a higher dose to avoid them. This can cause an overdose, too.

Steps to Take to Help Someone with a Benzodiazepine Addiction

If you suspect someone has a benzodiazepine addiction, the first step is to recognize the addiction. These drugs are used to treat a lot of conditions. It is important to know whether someone is just taking the drug or if they are abusing or addicted to it. If you find they are addicted to the drug, there are some steps you can take to help them overcome it.

Learn About Treatment Options

If you find that your loved one or friend has an addiction to this type of drug, it is essential that you learn about the treatment options available. Some of them that might be helpful for your friend or loved one include:

  • Outpatient
  • Intensive outpatient
  • Partial hospitalization
  • Inpatient
  • Detox programs

In each one of these treatment programs, there are other services used to help treat benzodiazepine addiction. If you want to know more about these services, reach out to our Harmony Health Group today.

Getting Them Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment Help

Since benzodiazepines are often prescribed to treat conditions such as anxiety, depression or another mental health disorder, getting clean from these drugs may mean the person with the addiction needs co-occurring disorder treatment. This type of treatment will help to treat the addiction and mental health disorder at the same time. There are many services that can help with treating both of these issues.

Learn About Aftercare and Family Support

Another step that you will want to take before confronting your friend or loved one about the addiction is to learn about aftercare and family support. The aftercare programs or services are going to be provided after your loved one or friend finishes with their treatment program whether that be inpatient or outpatient or any program in between. The purpose of the aftercare program is to help them continue their life of recovery.

It is also crucial that you and/or other family members are willing to participate in family therapy. There is a reason addictions are called family diseases. It affects people besides just the one with the addiction. You and your loved one can work through issues that are underlying or caused by the addiction.

Confronting the Addict

After you have learned about this type of addiction, the treatment options, aftercare and family support, it is time to confront the addict. What is the best way to do this? Well, addiction treatment professionals often recommend holding a professional intervention. There are intervention specialists who know how to help guide the conversation and hopefully, get the person to see that they need help. They can also work with your family to let you know how to act and what types of things to say or not say during the intervention.

If you want more information about how to hold an intervention or you need resources to find the best intervention specialist in a given area, you can reach out to our team. We will do our best to help guide you with this area of addiction and recovery.

Getting Someone the Benzodiazepine Addiction Treatment Help They Need

Do you know someone who is using benzodiazepines? Do you suspect or know they are addicted to these drugs? If so, then, now is the time to start planning how you will confront the addict. Once you learn more about the addiction and the other steps you need to take to handle the addiction, you can confront them about getting treatment.

After confronting the addict, did they agree to get help? If so, contact us today to get them into a benzodiazepine addiction treatment program.