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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

How do people get addicted to benzodiazepines?

Rio Fantastic

Rio Fantastic

Bluelighter
Joined
Feb 19, 2009
Messages
1,727
tl;dr:

1. What positive effects do you guys get out of benzodiazepines that keeps you coming back?
2. How does one become addicted to something that provides no real high like every other recreational drug of abuse?
3. How long/how much does it take to become addicted generally/personally?
4. What are benzodiazepine withdrawals like? For anyone who's experienced both, how do they compare to opiate withdrawal?

First of all, just to clarify, I can extrapolate from my experiences how most drug addictions happen, I've been a heavy tobacco smoker for five years, I have technically been addicted to cannabis in the past (though despite smoking daily for over six months I still can't see how anybody could imply weed addiction is even close to being in the same category as opiate addiction - but I digress, that's a different topic entirely) and I have struggled with heroin addiction for nearly two years. Though I haven't personally experienced dependency on any other substances (other than caffeine, but that hardly counts) I can understand how people could become addicted to stimulants or empathogens or even alcohol, as for me they're all drugs that actually provide a buzz or a high. Now, if benzodiazepine addiction was something that was relatively rare, like gabapentin dependency or something, I'd write it off as just the unlucky few and "different strokes for different folks" and whatnot, but it's a lot more common than I used to think. I see it so so often on here, as i'm sure anyone who frequents here does, and I currently have a friend who's use of RC benzos seems to be getting out of hand, which is what triggered this post.

I really don't understand it. Now I've only used diazepam and lorazepam (and zopiclone I suppose, though I know it's not technically a benzo) so maybe it's just a case of I haven't found one that works for me, but I've only ever used them strictly as tools - to help me through opiate withdrawals or if I'm going through a really bad bout of insomnia. Even when I was locked in a psych ward for three months, and was scripted it so I could have it whenever I asked for it, I only ever used it once and that was when I was really, really angry, and obviously for that period I no access to literally any other drugs. So I'm just wondering what people see in them? Is it just that I haven't found the right one? It doesn't give me any kind of euphoria or high, I don't find them to be relaxing in the sense of alcohol or low dose opiates, unless I'm extremely angry they don't make me any more relaxed than I would be usually. Do they only give one a "high" if you're an anxious person? For me it's just like someone took alcohol and took away the positive effects - sociability, excitability, impulsivity up and inhibitions down, sense of well-being - leaving just a blank dull sedative, as if my mind has just been turned down almost. So anyone who's had a benzo habit or just loves their benzos - what is it you get out of benzos that I'm missing? What is there to enjoy?

I also want to ask about the straight up mechanics of it so I can best help my friend and find out if theres a problem forming. How do you end up becoming addicted to them, other than ignorance? I can empathize with people addicted to opiates (obviously) or cocaine or meth or MDMA or alcohol etc because all these drugs give an actual "high", so I can understand the "fuck it" feeling that leads to people using more than they intend or more often that they planned, because they feel really, really good so I can understand people taking them and not caring at the time about the consequences. But if you know, for instance, that you've been using valium for too many days in a row, doesn't something tell you that you shouldn't carry on? Isn't the feeling you get from them so underwhelming that even after taking them you'd still be miserable and angry and stressed knowing you might become physically dependent again now? Also, how long/how much roughly does it take to become physically dependent (I know a solid answer can't be given for this, so how long roughly or just for you?? Finally, what is a benzodiazepine withdrawal like, and how does it compare to heroin withdrawal, for reference? I'd really really appreciate anyone who can help me with this, as i'm very curious and interested and want to help my friend however I can.

Thanks for reading!
 
fuck your 4 questions.

Someone such as myself suffering from anxiety and feeling like I don't belong in this world because it's so foreign to me, benzos are my god. They wake me up in the morning, get me to do shit in the day, make me feel somewhat good and not so ran down. The euphoria I CAN get is intensely awesome, greater than some opiates (not a good heroin rush, though, shit feels like an orgasm but better).

Benzos make me the functional human I try to be on a daily-basis without drugs. But for 6 months I have to be sober, so this will be a struggle. (Started today!)

W/Ds generally start within 3-4 weeks (if you quit after 3-4 weeks), depending on usage. 3-4 months of 3-15 mg/day put me into W/D for about a year and a half, still experience PAWs, rarely though. Withdrawal is terrible, comparable to being tortured as the mental struggle is so severe. It's no joke.

extended, irrelevant:
Opiates>benzos; only because the last time I had benzos, I wound up in jail for a night, then incarcerated for 45 more days, then mandatory rehab for 45 days. Mind you, I had ingested over 5mg of clonazolam and flubromazolan and IV'd over 10mg of clonazolam and flubromazolam.... Total amount I had was around 30-40mg. First time I actually blacked out on benzos...
 
XANAX XR said:
fuck your 4 questions.
Click to expand...
My thoughts exactly =D

How do people get addicted to benzo's? The answer to that is quite simple: The same as with other drugs. Accidentally.
You're developping a habit without being aware of it at first. As the situation progresses, the habit becomes an urge that you give into impulsively. You notice that you're growing towards addiction and decide to take action. This decision, however, is in thoughts and maybe words. You don't actually manage to get rid of the chronic use and then you're fucked, because it's in your daily routine.

And in this case, with benzo's, this being fucked involves physical dependance as well. Therefore it requires even more dedication and preferably assistance.

There. Simple.
 
I didn't read the OP, but I'll answer the thread title.
First of all, everybody has a different prefrance of drugs, or DoC (drugs of choice).

It's very simple. The answer is, the same way people get addicted to Alcohol, opiates, stimulants, nicotine, etc.

As for myself, I've been in the drug game for 10 years.
I've used A LOT of different drugs, including opiates, benzos, cannabis, stimulants, and nicotine, and a bunch more.

I got addicted to opiates, nicotine, cannabis, and benzos. I was never into stimulant drugs.

The bottom line is, Person A got addicted to opiates, Person B got addicted to Stimulants, and Person C got addicted to benzos, while person D got addicted to opiates, benzos, alcohol, and nicotine.

Get the picture? Everyone has a different body chemistry, and Everyone has a different taste in drugs. Making people like 1 dtug over the other.
 
Hey man different strokes different folks. Just because you get no euphoria from benzos doesn't mean everyone is wired that way. I personally get nothing from them except being tired. Even if I have bad anxiety and I take a benzo I still have anxiety but now I'm tired as well. After saying that I also know my reality isn't the same as everyone elses. I like chocolate my wife like vanilla who's wrong and who's right?
 
the same reason people have porn addictions, alcohol addictions, other drug addictions because it provides a nice warm fuzzy feeling inside...not literally but you get the idea
if i wasnt strong willed im sure i would be addicted to xanax and diazepam by now why?....because they provide relief from my anxiety issues i mean who wouldnt keep taking them?
if you really suffer from anxiety and panic disorder which benzos are mainly for youll know that a nice calm feeling is pure bliss
which is why people keep taking them and taking them and.... i dont blame them
IMO benzos are badass for when you really need them if you have anxiety
for rec use i still dont see the point of popping some xanax for example then drinking only to black out which is stupid to me
when there is a plethora of other drugs/pills 100x better for rec use
 
Benzodiazepines are used by a great number of people as they can make you feel comfortable with yourself.
In the appropriate dosages most people would feel free from anxiety, fear, insomnia, sadness, etc.
And by doing this of course you live your life without being bored or troubled as we all are at some point.

It helps people cope with their sadness, tiredness and problems in general reason for which people feel good about it.
Each one in their own 'happiness'. And when we feel happy we want to feel it again and again. For the rest of our lives if it's possible.

The addiction itself may be developed within 2 to 3 months depending on how much you are taking, and whether you are following doctor's prescriptions or not. It happens more quickly if one mixes the benzodiazepine with other drugs, specially with alcohol or opiates.

The abuse of these meds will probably make people addicted psychologically but this sort of addiction although not totally physical can be way worse than opiates as it changes the way you deal with your life and that's difficult to deal with.
 
wow i wouldn't even know where to start. i'm usually very moody and lose my mind over any little thing. benzos for starters make everything clearer, i'm able to think and see straight; they also put me in an awesome mood, and i'm able to keep cool and level-headed, no matter what, which makes it much easier to, well, exist. benzos consistently make me feel MUCH more alive, and when i'm off of them, there constantly seems to be some sort of block, of fog on everything. it even feels like cheating to take them because things simply work then effortlessly.
 
Benzodiazepines make everything calm for me. I feel calm. I am not worrying about minuscule things I was panicking about just hours before. The anxiety goes away and I can speak to people properly. I'm able to work more efficiently because I am not stressing about how I am coming across to people. (however, it also can have the opposite effect, where I'm clumsy and miss things I'd usually pick up. It also shoots your memory).

I go through phases of using them. I'm well aware about receptors, tolerance, etc. (probably only worthwhile thing I learned during my degree haha) and I know if I keep taking them constantly, any feeling I get will basically be a placebo. I think because I'm aware of the science behind it from my college studies, I end up taking them in phases and not at excessive doses. If I stop taking them, I get the exact same feeling as I did before. If I take them for weeks straight, or sometimes even days straight, I get no effect. I'd think you then know there's a problem forming when you realize the effect isn't as strong and you're having to take more. This can happen very very quickly. It happens within days for me.

As you say, it doesn't give you a high like other drugs, but for me the feeling of being calm and being able to interact with people is my "high". I'm not anxious and I can "be myself" (which is a bit of a contradiction I guess, since you're taking a drug). This makes me feel good. I enjoy being around people when I can be myself and not be full of anxiety. And I feel that others enjoy talking and being around me too. So, basically, I do get my own kind of high out of it, just not in the traditional drug high sense.

I don't think I've ever really had bad withdrawals from them to be honest - maybe a little down for a few days, but nothing truly noticeable. Maybe sleep a little poorer too. But this would obviously be because I don't take them in runs long enough, or in doses high enough, to have true withdrawals. I'm sure if I continued to increase the dose I'd feel terrible. I'd feel depression and my sleep would be terrible (obviously benzodiazepenes affect your sleep stages) I'm not sure how helpful my post is then, I do take clonazepam in phases, but I guess I'm not completely addicted to it.

To be honest though, I ran out recently and I panicked. The thought of not having it stressed me out. Having it as a safety net is helpful for me. I was "lucky" and got another script. I'd probably be feeling pretty awful right now if I didn't end up with a new script.
 
Last edited:
XANAX XR said:
fuck your 4 questions.

Someone such as myself suffering from anxiety and feeling like I don't belong in this world because it's so foreign to me, benzos are my god. They wake me up in the morning, get me to do shit in the day, make me feel somewhat good and not so ran down. The euphoria I CAN get is intensely awesome, greater than some opiates (not a good heroin rush, though, shit feels like an orgasm but better).

Benzos make me the functional human I try to be on a daily-basis without drugs. But for 6 months I have to be sober, so this will be a struggle. (Started today!)

W/Ds generally start within 3-4 weeks (if you quit after 3-4 weeks), depending on usage. 3-4 months of 3-15 mg/day put me into W/D for about a year and a half, still experience PAWs, rarely though. Withdrawal is terrible, comparable to being tortured as the mental struggle is so severe. It's no joke.

extended, irrelevant:
Opiates>benzos; only because the last time I had benzos, I wound up in jail for a night, then incarcerated for 45 more days, then mandatory rehab for 45 days. Mind you, I had ingested over 5mg of clonazolam and flubromazolan and IV'd over 10mg of clonazolam and flubromazolam.... Total amount I had was around 30-40mg. First time I actually blacked out on benzos...
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree with you more fuck this guy,people like this just piss me off. I'm getting tired of these kids who have no idea what it's like in the real world the privileged College kids who are experimenting with drugs for the first time and think they know it all. Really wish I knew some of the older blue light members as I know many on here have been through some hard times whether young or old.
 
Rio Fantastic said:
tl;dr:

1. What positive effects do you guys get out of benzodiazepines that keeps you coming back?
2. How does one become addicted to something that provides no real high like every other recreational drug of abuse?
3. How long/how much does it take to become addicted generally/personally?
4. What are benzodiazepine withdrawals like? For anyone who's experienced both, how do they compare to opiate withdrawal?

First of all, just to clarify, I can extrapolate from my experiences how most drug addictions happen, I've been a heavy tobacco smoker for five years, I have technically been addicted to cannabis in the past (though despite smoking daily for over six months I still can't see how anybody could imply weed addiction is even close to being in the same category as opiate addiction - but I digress, that's a different topic entirely) and I have struggled with heroin addiction for nearly two years. Though I haven't personally experienced dependency on any other substances (other than caffeine, but that hardly counts) I can understand how people could become addicted to stimulants or empathogens or even alcohol, as for me they're all drugs that actually provide a buzz or a high. Now, if benzodiazepine addiction was something that was relatively rare, like gabapentin dependency or something, I'd write it off as just the unlucky few and "different strokes for different folks" and whatnot, but it's a lot more common than I used to think. I see it so so often on here, as i'm sure anyone who frequents here does, and I currently have a friend who's use of RC benzos seems to be getting out of hand, which is what triggered this post.

I really don't understand it. Now I've only used diazepam and lorazepam (and zopiclone I suppose, though I know it's not technically a benzo) so maybe it's just a case of I haven't found one that works for me, but I've only ever used them strictly as tools - to help me through opiate withdrawals or if I'm going through a really bad bout of insomnia. Even when I was locked in a psych ward for three months, and was scripted it so I could have it whenever I asked for it, I only ever used it once and that was when I was really, really angry, and obviously for that period I no access to literally any other drugs. So I'm just wondering what people see in them? Is it just that I haven't found the right one? It doesn't give me any kind of euphoria or high, I don't find them to be relaxing in the sense of alcohol or low dose opiates, unless I'm extremely angry they don't make me any more relaxed than I would be usually. Do they only give one a "high" if you're an anxious person? For me it's just like someone took alcohol and took away the positive effects - sociability, excitability, impulsivity up and inhibitions down, sense of well-being - leaving just a blank dull sedative, as if my mind has just been turned down almost. So anyone who's had a benzo habit or just loves their benzos - what is it you get out of benzos that I'm missing? What is there to enjoy?

I also want to ask about the straight up mechanics of it so I can best help my friend and find out if theres a problem forming. How do you end up becoming addicted to them, other than ignorance? I can empathize with people addicted to opiates (obviously) or cocaine or meth or MDMA or alcohol etc because all these drugs give an actual "high", so I can understand the "fuck it" feeling that leads to people using more than they intend or more often that they planned, because they feel really, really good so I can understand people taking them and not caring at the time about the consequences. But if you know, for instance, that you've been using valium for too many days in a row, doesn't something tell you that you shouldn't carry on? Isn't the feeling you get from them so underwhelming that even after taking them you'd still be miserable and angry and stressed knowing you might become physically dependent again now? Also, how long/how much roughly does it take to become physically dependent (I know a solid answer can't be given for this, so how long roughly or just for you?? Finally, what is a benzodiazepine withdrawal like, and how does it compare to heroin withdrawal, for reference? I'd really really appreciate anyone who can help me with this, as i'm very curious and interested and want to help my friend however I can.

Thanks for reading!
Click to expand...

Who the fuck do you think you are asking this type of bullshit question I would like to see you walk one month in my shoes after suffering from PTSD and multiple other traumas. Who do u thank you are some medical student who has all the answers to peoples problems when you have no idea what the hell you're talking about . You have some balls with this post you think you're being smart but your ignorance should embarrass you.
 
Benzos are an awesome buzz, at least 4 me. Its just another GABA drug like alcohol, so I have found I can blackout on as little as 2mg clonazapam. Well, at 2mg its more of a brown out, you recall alot of the night but there are black holes :) good luck, avoid benzos unless u must use them imho.=cfzRX
 
Why? Because they are addictive physically and mentally. It's pretty simple. When you suffer from crippling anxiety and finally find something that works you tend to want to continue to feel relief and before you know it you're addicted. Same thing for recreational users. They like what they feel, want it to continue and there you have it. Pretty simple IMO.
 
chrisincville said:
Because it makes you feel good, so you keep wanting more.
Click to expand...

I don't think it takes too many words to answer OP's question(s). Bottomline on why any one develops an addiction (or really likes taking drug A or B) is that they like the way it makes them feel, period. They keep coming back to try to get that feeling again and before long an addiction follows. Benzos are really no different than any other drug to an addict. If it didn't make you feel good, you wouldn't have done it in the first place.
 
1. What positive effects do you guys get out of benzodiazepines that keeps you coming back?
2. How does one become addicted to something that provides no real high like every other recreational drug of abuse?
3. How long/how much does it take to become addicted generally/personally?
4. What are benzodiazepine withdrawals like? For anyone who's experienced both, how do they compare to opiate withdrawal?

My answers to your questions all my experience
1.when you have anxiety , tight chest pains , scared of everything and everyone , and just feel like you have a gun pointed At you most of the time . My biggest one is shopping centres , I feel like everyone is staring at me and thinking so something bad, so when I take 10mg diazepam i feel happy and think. No one is staring at me its sorta like a instant happiness tablet for me and I guess that's what's keeps me coming back .

2.it doesn't provide a high but RELIEF is a big thing for someone with bad anxiety such as myself . But if you take 100mg diazepam or 10mg lorazepam With one beer it does produce a high , I mean nothing like an opiate, but it stil makes me happy.

3. IME everyday use of diazepam multiple doses a day would only take 3 weeks to become addicted and want more , and have those withdrawals which are the worst I'll explain further in next answer .

4. Severe anxiety , mood swings , stress , depression and only once I had 2 seizures in one day, sorry I couldn't compare it to opiaye withdrawal seeing as the only opiate I do is codeine thanks for reading and hope this helps you
 
People are not as stressed and can deal with life more effectively, however, being numbed
from anxiety blinds our emotions and feelings and they we keep shaping our behavior according to society standards.

It's too addictive, that sort of addiction that makes you sad because you can never go back to the way you were. Molded to the 'modus operandis' that makes everything easier, living under avatars.

Not fun neither euphoric imo but people feel comfortable using benzos to get adapted to difficult situations. It's a long way back to our true selves.
 
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A lot of assholes and douchebags here. As a 20 year experienced drug addict, currently on 12 years of heroin/opioid addiction, I've never understood why people abuse benzos either. They work for their intended purpose, but they offer no euphoria or anything. In fact they can be quite dysphoric and there's nothing fun about blacking out or fucking up your memory. In fact, benzos lower the amount of 'feel good' neurotransmitters in the brain. There is a difference between 'addiction' and 'dependence' and I don't see anything wrong with OP asking why the fuck people get addicted to non-euphoric drugs, that actually kill the euphoria from other drugs and cause memory problems. Because people are stupid I guess?
 
I used to have a real benzo / hypnotic problem. When I was younger I would pop at least 4 at a time, sometimes more than 10. I liked how it felt in that i felt like I was floating and also hallucinating somewhat (at high enough dosages). It was also convenient for me at the time, as I could travel with it and use it at work or social functions. It also makes alcohol feel 100 times better. Not sure how long it took me to get addicted.

I never had anxiety but whenever I would withdraw (usually would take half a week) I would burst into tears spontaneously. I would stop to prove to myself I could but eventually begin using again. Everything is hazy from those years. I simply became addicted because I liked how it felt and it was convenient.

I got serious liver problems from the abuse and eventually would throw up if I took any benzo or hypnotic. I tried to find one I could tolerate, but there just wasn't any. I hope it doesn't reach this point for your friend, I was seriously ill at that point.
 
I don't get high, i get anxiety relief. I'm not addicted, moreso dependent because ive been prescribed them for years.
 
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