Benzos Generalities on acceptable dosages per day/week before danger of physical addiction

[Amadeus-]

I'm pretty good about avoiding psychological addition to drugs. Oxy, pot, etc. are pretty easy for me to enjoy for a while, quit whenever I want, etc. However, with a new job and a lot of related anxieties, I was considering some minimal benzos usage and I'm a little nervous with regard to how much one can reasonably take, and how often, etc. before *physical* dependency sets in. (The last thing I ever want to deal with is true withdrawal symptoms, if I can help it at all.)

So, my questions:

• How often can an average adult male take benzos without having to worry too much about true physical dependency. (I currently have 10mg versions of Valium that are easily breakable into two halves.)
• Is physical dependency typically a matter of how often one takes the drug, or how much one takes each time?

I'm going to be honest in that I never do any type of drug (pot, oxy, alcohol) more than once a day at most ..and always in the evening. Honestly, I just like to have a nice relaxing evening (I'm not looking to be perpetually medicated.) So, I guess I'm primarily curious to get a basic idea of how often I could take a valium, safely, and how many milligrams at a time.

Finally, I do want to state that I know there's no way to provide a definitive answer, as so much depends on the person taking the drug, their history, their genetics, etc..etc... So, just looking for some ballpark ideas here.

Thanks!

 

[Scrofula]

I don't think I can hit that ball anywhere near the ballpark. Maybe one the next city over.

It's like cigarettes. You can't know how long you can get away with one a day, or five just on Friday night. For me, two a night when studying for two quarters worked great. Twenty years later I still do two a day, but with a head full of nicotine gum. I can't even tell you when the sudden switch happened, but "bum a smoke" turned into pack a day awful fast.

I don't think benzos have a pull as intense as nicotine. BUT, they have a worse psychological component. It comes down to why you feel you need these little fuckers.

Some people take a little ativan every night before bed, probably mostly as placebo. And they can do that for years. They don't need another one, because they're asleep.

If you take them daily for sustained prevention of anxiety, they're going to gradually become less effective, requiring a larger and larger dose.

So then you either take them as needed for anxiety, or save them for the weekend. At that point it's the same as booze. Can you get drunk every weekend, stay straight at work, for months and months and years? Without the body wreckage, benzos might be easier to do that.

Or do you keep a shot of liquor in your desk, and take a swig when things get stressful. Some people can do that.

So your question is like that last one, how long can a dude keep a stress-flask in his desk before it becomes a problem? There can be some discussion about long half-lives and short ones, and they have major effects, but in the end it's still just a dude with a flask.

BTW, if you add alcohol at any point, your risk of dependencies and complications goes up by [some big number]. The fact you worry about it tells me you need to worry about it.

ETA: your question about which is it? How often, how long, with breaks or not, to do this thing without it becoming a Thing? Has been asked and attempted and reattempted by every patient in every rehab across the land. There is no answer. Some people can do it and some people can't.

 

[Amadeus-]

Well, I don't drink alcohol (except maybe once a year or something), smoke tobacco, or even drink anything with caffeine. The only drugs have done are pot and very occasionally Oxy (Oxy is cool and all, but I start/stop it whenever and have never felt an urge to try something more powerful like heroin. There are psychedelics I'd like to try, but don't yet have a partner -- so, for now I'm stuck with the boring stuff..lol.

Honestly, it sounds like you were taking my question a different direction than what I intended. I've taken one pill a night the past week or so, with probably a couple days here and there where I skipped it. (Let's say 4-5 10mg Valium pills total.) It makes me feel a little relaxed and it's a nice synergy with the pot (less anxiety), but it's not like "holy shit, I need to feel like this more often!" It just seemed like a possible alternative to feeling relaxed before bed other than just pot.

I'm honestly just curious as to whether there is any way of determining at what point one is taking so many that there would be withdrawal symptoms, and whether it comes from taking the pills too often, or taking too large a dosage, or a combination.

Anyway, if an answer is impossible, that's fine. Or, if it's something like "well, the only safe thing is 10mg once a week" ...that's also a valid answer. Honestly, I was just curious if there were adult men out there who have enough experience with this particular drug that they can give a ballpark estimate on when one needs to stop before it becomes a PHYSICAL problem.

Thanks!

 

[BehindtheShadow]

Everyone is different so you cant really say. I might be able to take 3 x more than then next person because of various factors.

For example I could take way more opiates than my hubby because my tolerance was a lot higher than him.

Thing with addiction is you don't even realise you have a problem until its too late IMO

 

[Backfromthebrink]

Thing with addiction is you don't even realise you have a problem until its too late IMO

This.

That day when you wake up feeling sick and it dawns on you that it's not rthe flu....you're addicted.

It goes rapidly downhill from there

 

[Scrofula]

I didn't mean any offense, OP. I'm just speaking from sad experience.

I have never finished a cigarette and said, "holy shit, I need to feel like this more often!"

And when it comes to booze, it has nothing to do with the whens and how much, and everything to do with where my head is at the moment. And how much money I have.

You just wake up one day and you need it.


So the question you need to ask is how little can I possibly do to get whatever it is I need, and do I really need it.

 

[Jekyl Anhydride]

I'd say when you have trouble getting to sleep on days you're not taking anything dependence is setting in. But everyone above has valid opinions.