addict?

[[so...]]

could someone please help me answer this question or lead me to info that will help answer this:

 

i was on a suppose to be "support site"  and had talked about not much support for people trying to get off doc prescibed meds.  my case  xanax and restoril along with a number of others.    i was told i was just an addict like any other addict and should just go to any 12 step or detox center.  i have heard in regular detox they just go cold turkey - which is bad.  and i don't believe in a 12 step program when i was told to take these pills - to get better!  what am i suppose to apologise for and to whom?  i totally believe in group support but can't find anything close (in person)

anyway it's important to me to show this person they are wrong and cruel.

thanks for any help.

[[dr...]]

Hi Soren,

 

Sorry you went through that.  Personally, I never considered myself an addict.  I always took less than my prescribed amount, I didn't engage in any drug-seeking behavior, and I didn't engage in behaviors that were hurtful to myself or others (other than taking the medication of course!).  Rapid detox is generally not recommended in most situations for Benzos.  Most 12 step programs focus on abstaining from use/abuse.  Most people recovering from benzos don't need such support.  They need support for the horrible withdrawal symptoms they are going through.  It sounds like the group who gave you feedback was very short-sighted on these matters.  You are correct, it is very difficult to find in person support for coming off of benzos.  This is truly what it means to be a minority.  I have learned a lot of lessons this way.  Of course you have support here!    Try not to take your experience to heart.  What matters most is that you feel better.

 

Draftsman

[[so...]]

very very grateful for your remarks.

[[st...]]

Hi soren,

 

Make sure you get on a benzodiazepine support site like this one.  Unfortunately, there isn't much support out there for those of us coming off benzos....it is a whole other ballgame.  I am so thankful to have found this site.  Good luck on your journey.

 

Patty  xo

[[Mi...]]

Draftsman hit the nail on the head.

 

While it is true that some people can display addict type behavior with benzos, for the most part, people who become dependent from a doctor prescribed prescription of benzos do not need a 12 step program, unless they are struggling with other areas of substance abuse such as alcohol, etc.

 

The best support you kind find is one in which people know exactly what you're going through with doctor prescribed benzos, because they are going through it themselves.  Places like Benzo Buddies.

[[Bl...]]

Soren,

 

I would encourage you to disregard the unwanted advice of others.  I personally AM an addict.  I have gone through the 12 steps.  I am in recovery and am coming up on one year clean.  That having been said, anyone who has any familiarity with the steps knows that nobody can tell you that you need them.  That decision is personal to every person.  The 12 steps are an amazing spiritual program which would benefit anyone, not just addicts.  But ultimately the decision is yours.  Nobody can tell you you're an addict.  You know better than anyone.

 

And it is perfectly reasonable to determine that you are not an addict.  You took your pills as prescribed and you do not describe any other drug seeking behavior.  You may have become dependent on the benzos but dependence does not equal addict.

 

--Bluegus

[[Fl...]]

Most people here aren't addicted, they are dependent. BIG difference.

 

I have absolutely zero cravings for pills. Even when I hit the lowest of the low. This stuff does horrible things to your brain chemistry making it impossible to function normally when you come off (if you are one of the many who suffers from WD).

 

Never been a fan of the 12 step stuff myself and it sounds like this is yet another case of people who don't understand how these pills can ravage your brain. There is no "willpower" involved in getting off of benzos. Time is the only cure.

 

You need to run away from ANYONE who tries to tell you that the key to healing is accepting that you are an "addict" and are powerless against the benzos. That's not what this is all about.

[[...]]

I am a member of narcotics anonymous here in the U.K. I think that, if you abuse these medications and have addictive behaviors

around other mood altering substances also, then N/A is the right place to be.

 

Though i do honesty believe that, if you have become addicted to benzo's accidently, going to N/A meetings can only do you

good. I know from experience that there are other people who have got in trouble with prescribed medications who go to regular N/A meetings.

 

The trouble with explaining your symptoms and asking advice over the internet is that, you don't know who you are talking

too and you don't know about there history. At least face to face you can have a better conversation with people.

 

I would say to anybody on this site, you could try an N/A meeting at least once to see how you feel about it. I know from

experience that at least you won't be alone going through this.