In 1981 I went into my first detox for Methadone and thought nothing of the fact that I was doing close to 100mg of Valium a day. Felt fine the first two weeks, then all of a sudden I felt like I was losing my mind (people could read my thoughts, feeling like my brain was on vibrate mode.) it got so bad I went to the nurses desk and wanted an off ward to get out of the hospital. I remember going to the desk and asking her to unlock the door. While I was talking I started stuttering and my body just started jerking and violently flailing on it's own. That's all I remember, until I woke up with my arms and feet in restraints and a nurse coming at me with a hypo saying "you know what this is for don't you". I sheepishly nodded as I honestly thought I lost my mind and it was never coming back. Turns out I went into a condition called status epilepticus, where you have one grand mal after another and you can die very quickly if it is not stopped. It happened to me one other time when Xanax first came out, as doctors were told by the company that they were safer than valium. I was only taking 2mg a day and quit was at work and it was only 8 hours since my last dose and boom I was on the floor. I was pretty lucky as I was a prep chef and was cleaning shrimp with a large razor sharp knife, it flew out of the way as I smacked my head off the concrete floor. The ambulance driver asked me my name, where I lived, etc.,but I had no idea, my mind was blank. By the time we reached the ER, I had some memory back. I was honest with the doc and he wrote me a Rx for 100 Xanax 1mg, and said keep taking these and that won't happen anymore. Hard to believe, but true!!
When I went to detox to get of hydro and Xanax it took 4 months, due to the Xanax. A medically safe Xanax detox is to reduce the dose .25mg every 5 days, so if you are eating 10 -15mg a day, you are in shark infested waters.
I only share this as I see soooo many people, especially at meth clinics, eating "bars" and footballs" like Tic Tacs. One day the devil will take his due and this 50 year old man who has done every drug out there, to excess, can tell you NOTHING scares me more than benzos.
Good luck and God bless anyone trying to get off them. Please seek medical help, the withdrawal can and has killed people. A seizure at 50 mph while driving may cost some little kid his life and yours sitting in a jail cell, ain't worth it for a buzz.