“Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism.”
– Carl Jung
Overprescribed benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines can play a crucial role in managing alcohol withdrawal and treating anxiety and insomnia. The most widely recognised benzodiazepines are alprazolam (xanax), chlordiazepoxide (librax), clobazam (onfi), clonazepam (klonopin), clorazepate (tranxene), diazepam (valium), estazolam (proSom), flurazepam (dalmane), lorazepam (ativan), midazolam (versed), oxazepam (serax), temazepam (restoril), and triazolam (halcion).
Diazepam (valium) is widely prescribed to patients withdrawing from alcohol. It can relieve muscle spasms, reduce seizures and chronic anxiety, all of which are associated with a discontinuation from alcohol dependency and addiction. However, over-prescribed benzodiazepines can be very damaging,resulting in unintended consequences such as a dependency on or addiction to the drug, leading to further serious complications.
When a user misuses diazepam, in the short-term, they may experience a lack of coordination, anxiety, irritation, palpitations, depression and stomach cramps; such symptoms can also manifest when diazepam is injected or snorted. Long-term diazepam abuse can lead to memory loss, slowed pulse, hallucinations, and heart attacks. Unfortunately, lasting health effects on overprescribed diazepam can bedepression, psychological distress, aggression, further drug abuse/addiction and cognitive deficits. Detoxing from an addiction to diazepam can be very challenging and should be carried out under professional supervision, especially when dealing with other mental disorders. The symptoms of withdrawing from diazepam misuse can include personality changes, respiratory distress, seizures, or evencoma. Our specially trained medical team at Addcounsel have worked with high-risk drug users withdrawing from valium and a wide range of benzodiazepines with great success.
High-risk opioid users misusing benzodiazepines
According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, benzodiazepines are often misused by high-risk opioid users, which is associated with morbidity and mortality. In a paper published by EMCDDA Perspective on Drugs, it states: “It is important to stress that much benzodiazepine prescribing to high-risk drug users is done with legitimate therapeutic aims in mind. Nevertheless, these medicines may be used in ways that produce unintended negative health consequences, especially when they are used for longer than two to three weeks, form part of polydrug use patterns — typically in combination with illicit drugs or alcohol — and are used in ways that do not accord with prescribing guidelines.”
High-risk opioid users are much more likely to self-medicate and abuse benzodiazepines to treat the symptoms of opioid withdrawal, orally or by means of injection and snorting. The effects of opioid use can be prolonged by injecting benzodiazepines. High-risk opioid users self-prescribing and misusing benzodiazepines can create a high tolerance, there by exacerbating anxiety, panic disorder, chronic stress and psychosis. This makes the path to recovery from drug addiction that much harder, nonetheless at Addcounsel we are well equipped to help. We have treated individuals going through the challenge of withdrawing from both opioid addiction and benzodiazepine misuse.
Opioid addiction
Opioids are “morphine-type” medications (morphine was the first opioid discovered), packed with extremely powerful addictive properties. The most commonly prescribed opioids are fentanyl, oxycodone, buprenorphine codeine, dihydrocodeine, tramadol, morphine, and diamorphine. The rise in opioid misuse and addiction has had a lot of media coverage in recent years. Many individuals have become addicted to opioids, having been over-prescribed by their medical doctors to treat long-term physical pain. Opioid prescription can be very effective in the short-term to help manage severe physical pain, but can lead to addiction if used for extended periods of time.
Back in 2016, during the US presidential election, the two final Presidential candidates debated on the topic of opioid abuse, with the democratic leader calling it “a quiet epidemic.” America has seen a rise in prescription drug dependency and addiction with many individuals turning to the street drug heroin, having been hitherto prescribed opioids from their medical doctors and consequently developing a strong tolerance.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) states that: “21.2 million Americans have a substance use disorder. In 2018, just 11% of those patients received the treatment they needed. And one in five people wrestling with an addiction say they do not know where to turn for help.” The research then states that only three thousand physicians in US are specifically trained to treat twenty-one million people suffering from drug addiction. Although the most recent NHS report (published 2 March 2023) states that opioid prescription has been cut by almost half a million in four years in England, this doesn’t take into account opioid addicts purchasing drugs online or through other sources (see next section on this topic).
An ultra-high-net-worth person (UHNW) could be vulnerable to exploitation and being over-prescribed opioids by their medical doctor. This can lead to a co-dependent relationship between the doctor and patient. When an UHNW individual provides a substantial source of income (including perks), the health professional could find themselves becoming an enabler.
There are plenty of tragic stories in which UHNW and famous celebrities have succumbed to co-dependent relationships with medical doctors. For example, the late celebrated film star, Judy Garland, was forced to take stimulants as a child actor by her medical doctor. She once told her biographer: “They’d give (me and Mickey Rooney) pills to keep us on our feet long after we were exhausted. Then they’d take us to the studio hospital and knock us out with sleeping pills…then after four hours they’d wake us up and give us the pep pills again so we could work 72 hours in a row. Half of the time we were hanging from the ceiling, but it was a way of life for us.”
Buying benzodiazepines and opioids online has never been easier
The saying, “addiction thrives on availability” is something we have seen first-hand treating our patients at Addcounsel. The ease with which prescription drugs can be obtained online has played an important part in the increase of individuals self-prescribing powerful mind and mood-altering drugs. Teenagers, some of whom are from ultra-high-net-worth families, are ordering benzodiazepines on the dark web instead of going directly to their medical doctors or to local illicit drug dealers.
Should a doctor of an ultra-high-net-worth individual refuse to prescribe them more drugs, the drug user will simply bypass the health professional and order on the dark web. There is no risk of being mugged travelling to a neglected or risky urban area, or having to talk to or share the same space as a drug dealer. The Irish Times reports: “Teenagers are now more commonly ordering illegal drugs online through the dark web, rather than buying them directly from a dealer in person.”
Organised criminals are using cryptocurrency and laundering their ill-gotten gains into “legitimate” enterprises, thus fuelling their need to continue selling on the dark web. In a paper written by Julian Strizek, Alexandra Karden & Ilonka Horvath—Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG), the authors state: “Cryptomarkets located on the so-called darknet offer a convenient and comparable safe way to buy drugs in addition to traditional supply sources like street dealers or social supply.”
Are prescription drugs working to treat addiction?
Drug addiction is a complex brain disorder which left untreated creates immense suffering for the user and those most closely associated with them. Antidepressants have been given to patients with the theory that if depression lessens, then the need to drink alcohol will lessen too. As we have explored, benzodiazepines play an important role in detoxing from alcohol. However, using valium or codeine for a considerable period can create a dependency and then an addiction. Medical doctors in England have prescribed methadone (an opioid) to high-risk heroin users, which has often incentivised the drug users to consume both substances, therefore worsening the patients’ chances of refraining entirely.
At Addcounsel, we take each case on an individual basis. However, we believe that long-term abstinence treating alcohol and drug addiction is the best option.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
SSRIs are often used to help a person treat common challenges in early recovery such as depression and anxiety. Contrary to common belief, they are not habit-forming and in contrast to mood-altering substances, they don’t affect mood in the same way but work slowly over a period to regulate imbalances in the brain. SSRIs and other categories of anti-depressant don’t cause euphoria. They all work in different ways (it can sometimes be difficult to find which one is best suited to the person being treated) to alleviate symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
There is still stigma attached to taking these types of medication in certain twelve-step recovery programmes and it’s worth bearing in mind that untreated depression and/or anxiety can be a contributing factor as to why someone has resorted to self-medicating with alcohol and/or drugs. And so, treating the underlying mental health disorder can help to prevent a relapse further on down the line into sobriety.
Summary
Addcounsel believes in treating the whole person. We know from our experience that prescription drug abuse, dependency and addiction affect patients differently. We have a wide range of professionals equipped to tailor a recovery programme around your needs, should you or a loved one be suffering with an addiction to Benzodiazepines or opioids or both.
Our team of experts are ready to talk to you. Please get in touch today to start your recovery.
References
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/carl_jung_108780
https://www.drugs.com/drug-class/benzodiazepines.html
https://www.drugabuse.com/benzodiazepines/valium/effects-use/
https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/system/files/publications/2733/Misuse%20of%20benzos_POD2015.pdf
http://www.neuroscience.stanford.edu/news/prescription-drugs-epidemic-addiction-us
https://www.history.com/news/judy-garland-barbiturates-hollywood-studio-drugs
https://ww.healthline.com/health/depression/selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitors-ssris
