Benzodiazepines, or benzos, are medications with tranquilizing properties that can be highly addictive. Often, benzos are legitimately prescribed to treat seizures or panic and anxiety disorders. However, if someone misuses or abuses prescription benzos, they are at risk of developing a damaging addiction that requires treatment. 
A benzo addiction treatment center can provide the help that breaks the cycle of addiction. People looking for a San Antonio substance abuse treatment center can count on The Right Step Hill Country to provide benzo addiction treatment that works. Call 1.844.675.1628 to learn more.
Common Medications that Include Benzos
Many tranquilizing medications include benzos. These drugs are safe and effective when used as instructed and with medical supervision. Some of the most frequently prescribed benzos include:
- Xanax
- Klonopin
- Valium
- Ativan
- Ambien
Doctors use benzos to treat medical conditions like severe panic and anxiety, muscle spasms, insomnia, and even alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Benzos have a relaxing effect on the body, which makes them powerful sedatives. Even if someone has a prescription for benzos, however, it is possible for them to misuse the drugs and develop an addiction.
When Is a Benzo Treatment Center Necessary?
Benzos work by depressing or slowing down the central nervous system. This sedative quality is how the medications can relax muscles and lower anxiety. Benzos also raise the brain’s level of dopamine, a chemical responsible for pleasurable feelings. Feel-good chemicals flood the brain, increasing relaxation.
Because benzos cause positive sensations that the brain associates with reward, people sometimes use these drugs in irresponsible ways. For instance, even if someone is using benzos that were prescribed to them, they may take more drugs than prescribed or use them more often than intended. After a while, they will build up a tolerance, which means they need more benzos to achieve the same effects. In the worst-case scenario, they might take an intentional or accidental overdose. These overdoses can be especially dangerous when benzos are combined with alcohol or other drugs.
Side effects of benzo abuse or addiction include:
- Impaired memory
- Extreme fatigue
- Slurred speech
- Lack of physical coordination
- Nausea and vomiting
- Difficulty breathing
Another sign someone needs a benzo rehab center is if they cannot stop taking benzos—or reduce their dosage—without experiencing unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.
Visiting a Benzo Addiction Treatment Center in San Antonio, TX
A benzo addiction treatment center can help you stay safe and as comfortable as possible during detox and withdrawal. Detox is the process of removing the drug from a person’s system completely. Since the body and brain have become used to benzos, detox can be a painful process. About a third of individuals who experience benzo addiction will have health problems when they try to stop using the drugs. People who took benzos for chronic pain, anxiety, or other conditions may feel the symptoms of their original conditions return during detox. For these reasons, detoxing is safest at a benzo rehab center.
Doctors and other medical staff members are on hand to treat any problems immediately. They may help clients taper off benzos by gradually reducing their dose during detox, which often makes withdrawal safer. In some cases, doctors can administer additional medication to ease any withdrawal symptoms.
Medical monitoring lasts until withdrawal symptoms have mostly passed. The length of time that symptoms last will vary from person to person. After detox is over, the real work begins, and clients work with the team at a benzo rehab center to create a treatment plan. Each plan is personalized to the client’s needs. Throughout the treatment process, clients have access to therapists, counselors, and psychological help for anxiety and other concerns.
Long-Term Benzo Addiction Treatment
Detox is just the first phase of recovery from benzo addiction. Depending on the client’s treatment needs, they may attend an inpatient or residential program, where they live on-site, or an outpatient program, where they commute to the treatment site and live at home.
In each program, clients receive individual and group therapy and counseling. Therapy helps clients address underlying trauma that can contribute to addiction, identify harmful thought patterns, and replace these patterns with constructive, healthy thoughts that lead to better behaviors. Therapy is also a crucial part of treatment for co-occurring mental health conditions, such as anxiety disorders.
Group and family therapy may also be part of a client’s treatment plan. In group therapy, clients learn from one another and share coping mechanisms with the guidance of a trained facilitator. Family therapy can help an entire family unit deal with complicated emotions in recovery and become a stronger support system for the person recovering from addiction.
Developing coping skills and a solid support network in treatment goes a long way toward relapse prevention. Even after clients leave a benzo addiction treatment center, they have an aftercare plan in place to prevent relapse and encourage them in sobriety.
The Right Step Hill Country: Benzo Addiction Treatment You Can Trust
Our benzo addiction treatment center in San Antonio, TX offers structured, evidence-based treatment programs for each stage in the recovery process. Inpatient residential treatment gives clients 24/7 support, safety, and routine, which makes all the difference in early recovery. For clients further along in their recovery journey, we offer many outpatient options, including our Hope House outpatient program. To learn more about how a benzo rehab center can get you or someone you love on the path to sobriety, call 1.844.675.1628 or reach out online.