It’s difficult to overcome a Xanax addiction without professional help, and attempting withdrawal without medical supervision is dangerous.
Your odds of success are much higher when you seek professional help to overcome any substance abuse problem.
Xanax
Xanax is the drug alprazolam, a benzodiazepine. It affects the central nervous system to lessen anxiety and panic disorders. Despite some downsides, it can be the help many legitimate users need to get control over their conditions.
Unfortunately, benzodiazepines are widely abused. Even taken as prescribed, Xanax can cause physical dependence, with users struggling with fairly serious withdrawal symptoms.
At doses above 4 mg per day, Xanax has a real risk of psychological and physical dependence.
Xanax is a fairly difficult drug for even many legitimate users to stop taking completely without the help of a Xanax rehab center. Doses have to be tapered off gradually. Otherwise, there is a risk of various withdrawal symptoms, the most serious of which is seizures. This is why it is essential to get treatment at an accredited Xanax rehab.
Do I Need Professional Help for Xanax Abuse?
Attempting to overcome Xanax abuse on your own is highly inadvisable.
In addition to the normal difficulties associated with addiction, the potential for seizures during Xanax withdrawal can be genuinely dangerous. This risk is amplified the longer you have been taking Xanax and the higher the doses.
An essential element to safely coming off Xanax is the medical detox process discussed briefly above that will be a part of your overall Xanax rehab. Doses should be tapered by a medical professional at a Xanax rehab center. This process can even be difficult for medical professionals to dose correctly. It is notably more difficult for people who have been taking Xanax above the recommended 4 mg/day limit, as people who are abusing the drug will generally be doing.
Drug abuse is complex, and the exact causes of it vary from person to person. Addiction is arguably even more complex, reliant on any number of genetic and environmental factors. This is not to blame people who fall into addiction, but it is important to understand that a person may not fully understand why they abuse drugs, how they got addicted, or how best to escape that addiction.
This is why health care professionals who specialize in helping people overcome addiction can be a vital component of the process. They have studied the many factors that lead people to addiction and are trained to lead people out of that addiction. Just as doctors are needed to treat other chronic diseases, there is no shame in needing a doctor to address your addiction.
What Options Are Available?
As discussed by the Mayo Clinic, substance abuse rehabilitation programs usually offer a mix of the following services for Xanax rehab:
- Individual therapy: This involves one-on-one sessions with a therapist. The professional will help you find individualized strategies to avoid or deal with triggers to abuse Xanax.
- Group therapy: A therapist leads group discussions. The group discusses their struggles and methods that have helped them succeed in recovery.
- Family therapy (if appropriate): This type of therapy is intended to repair any broken relationships you might have with family members. Strong, healthy connections, especially those with family, can be a great benefit in fighting addiction and preventing relapsing.
- Medication-assisted treatment (MAT): This treatment is always used in conjunction with some of the above options. Medications to manage withdrawal symptoms or cravings are used. For Xanax addiction, a long-acting benzodiazepine like Valium will be used for the tapering process.
Xanax rehab treatment essentially comes in three levels of intensity, depending on what best suits a person’s needs. There is outpatient care (the least intense), partial hospitalization (more intense), and then inpatient care (the most intense).
Exactly what treatment is best for you is something you will want to discuss with a health care professional at a quality Xanax rehab center.
Why Should I Seek Professional Help At a Xanax Rehab?
Xanax rehab treatment programs are usually at least partially covered by health insurance.
While treatment usually comes with some personal price tag, it’s important to note that drug abuse is very expensive. In addition to potentially being fatal, it can cause you to lose your job, land you in jail, lead to serious injury, and more. This can all happen while your quality of life seriously suffers.
An addiction to Xanax is serious. Chronic benzodiazepine abuse can lead to anxiety, insomnia, headaches, weakness, and eating disorders. Unfortunately, people who are generally prescribed Xanax are already vulnerable to several of these conditions. A stacking effect of these symptoms can lead to a serious drop in quality of life, suicidal thoughts, and other serious issues.
Many people also abuse Xanax with opioids or other drugs, such as alcohol, which is even more dangerous. Opioids are extremely addictive on their own, and combining them with Xanax can be deadly. While Xanax is not usually fatal on its own, there have been a number of fatalities reported when it has been used in conjunction with other drugs.
Benzodiazepine dependence forms quickly, and withdrawal can be life-threatening. Never attempt to stop taking Xanax suddenly without medical supervision.
Professional Help Works
A quality Xanax rehab and its staff can equip you with the tools you need to overcome addiction. They will teach you how to identify problems in your life that are leading you down a path of drug abuse. You will be taught that change is possible, even if it is sometimes difficult.
Addiction rehabilitation should be customized to suit your specific needs. A supervising physician will taper your benzodiazepine use, and medical support staff will help you safely get through withdrawal.
In therapy, you’ll identify the reasons why you started abusing Xanax. You’ll devise healthier coping mechanisms, so you don’t return to Xanax abuse during times of stress or sadness.Your odds of overcoming addiction are statistically lower if you don’t get professional help. Research shows that people who participate in Xanax rehab and support activities for longer periods have higher rates of long-term abstinence from drugs and alcohol. As a result, aftercare planning is vital to sustained success in recovery.
