Understanding Benzodiazepine Addiction
Commonly Misused Medications
Frequently abused benzodiazepines include Xanax, Valium, Ativan, Klonopin, Diazepam, and Alprazolam. These prescription medications affect the central nervous system, slowing down brain activity, resulting in an addictive calming effect.
Why Benzo Dependence Develops
When benzodiazepines produce calming effects, addiction develops. Many people may use benzos to feel relief from symptoms such as depression or anxiety, and when they feel this relief, they may be influenced to continue using the drug.
However, tolerance and dependence can quickly form when using benzodiazepines. The brain eventually becomes less sensitive to the substance, leading to a built-up tolerance. When this occurs, an individual may use more than prescribed to achieve their desired effect. As a result, they develop benzodiazepine dependence.
Risks of Long-Term Use & Higher Doses
Death rates for prescription abuse have increased over the years. Due to the drowsiness effects of benzodiazepines, they can cause potent respiratory depression, especially when used in combination with opioids. This can lead to coma or even death. High levels of psychological distress, recreational purposes, sleep disturbances, and the minimization of withdrawal put one at risk of long-term benzo abuse.
The Dangers of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal
Benzodiazepine dependence is linked with withdrawal syndrome. High doses of benzodiazepines can lead to dangerous withdrawal symptoms such as psychotic reactions and seizures. Benzo withdrawal can be short-lived, occurring between one and four days after discontinuing the substance. The second stage results in full-blown withdrawal, typically lasting between 10 and 14 days.
Physical Symptoms & Cravings
The third pattern of benzodiazepine withdrawal commonly represents the return of rebound anxiety symptoms that can persist until you seek treatment. Learning to recognize the mental and physical side effects can potentially prevent future complications and save your life.
Signs of benzodiazepine withdrawal include the following:
- Sleep disturbance
- Irritability
- Increased tension
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- Hand tremors
- Sweating
- Poor concentration
- Nausea
- Palpitations
- Weight loss
- Headaches
- Muscular pain
- Perceptual changes
The Role of Medical Supervision in Detox
Your first step toward recovery is often the most critical — and the most challenging. At Stairway Resource Center, our medically supervised benzo detox in Los Angeles provides a safe, compassionate environment where clients receive 24/7 medical care and support.
Comprehensive Benzodiazepine Drug Treatment in Los Angeles
Located in Woodland Hills, California, Stairway Resource Center is dedicated to providing comprehensive and compassionate care for individuals struggling with addiction and dual diagnosis. Our rehab program is designed to foster community, connection, and personal growth, ensuring that you receive the support you need to achieve both short-term and long-term recovery goals.
Personalized Treatment Plans
Our team understands that each individual’s path to healing is truly unique. Some individuals fight through trial and error, while others respond effectively to treatment. Developing an individualized treatment plan with one of our specialists can ensure a smoother path forward for you.
Detoxification & Tapering Process
The detoxification process can feel different for everyone. For example, medical detox from benzos can feel emotionally and physically exhausting. Detox symptoms can make you feel as if you want to surrender to substance abuse. Profuse sweating, headaches, nausea, and racing thoughts can feel overwhelming. However, the tapering process is manageable with our medical professionals.
Dual Diagnosis & Mental Health Support
There is a strong link between addiction and poor mental health. Our addiction treatment center specializes in addiction (primarily 12-Step-based), and we are a true dual diagnosis program. We focus on severe/extreme mental health conditions alongside addiction.
Our team understands that conditions like depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Alzheimer’s onset, memory loss, and traumatic brain injury (TBIs) are commonly linked with substance use disorders (SUDs). Chronic relapsers are also a specialty of ours, offering solutions when other treatments have failed.
Our clinical team takes on an individualized approach to care, providing treatments such as:
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
- Neurofeedback
- Brainspotting
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMI)
Evidence-Based Therapies (CBT, DBT, EMDR, Neurofeedback)
Here at Stairway Resource Center, our mission is to provide structured, spiritual, and evidence-based recovery programs that foster community and connection, while treating severe mental health and addiction. Our mental health treatment uses individualized approaches such as:
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR involves eight phases: history taking, client preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and reevaluation of treatment effect. It was initially used to treat PTSD, but is now used to treat other conditions.
- Neurofeedback: This is a type of biofeedback, which teaches self-control of brain functions to subjects by measuring brain waves and providing a feedback signal. This treatment is ideal for severe SUDs.
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): This is a non-invasive brain stimulation therapy used to treat poor mental health.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT is a type of psychotherapy that works to help a patient focus on the present rather than the past and move forward with positive behavioral changes.
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): DBT is a type of CBT that helps patients manage intense emotions, reduce negative behavior, and improve relationships.
Family Therapy & Community Support
Although individual therapy can be beneficial to your healing process, our recovery team understands the importance of family involvement. Therefore, our clinical director oversees family therapy sessions, family-only groups, one-on-one sessions for families needing their own therapy, and Tuesday family groups.
Benefits of Choosing Stairway Resource Center
At Stairway Resource Center, we focus on creating a supportive community that emphasizes connection and peer support. Our holistic therapies address the mind, body, and spirit, ensuring that your recovery journey is well-rounded and inclusive. We also prioritize community involvement, allowing patients like you to give back and connect with the broader community.
Structured Care & Accountability
Our clients must be committed to both sobriety and mental health improvement, willing to follow structured programs, and actively participate in the community. Stairway Resource Center values focus on accountability, trauma work, and the 12-Step philosophy, as these are our key components at our treatment center.
12-Step Philosophy & Spiritual Recovery
We are heavy on 12-Step-based programs. Stairway Resource Center hosts the largest Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings, along with alumni meetings. Our recovery team fosters an environment that emphasizes spiritual growth to guide you on your personal journey toward sobriety. By integrating these principles into our programs, we can help you achieve a sense of balance that is crucial for long-term sobriety.
Alumni & Peer Support Groups
After you or a loved one exits a rehabilitation program and ceases living in a sober living home, you’ll need access to a wider support network than those you encountered in treatment. Aside from community support and 12-Step groups, our alumni program can help you broaden your horizons, so you never feel alone in your recovery. You can take advantage of social events, insightful workshops, and other programming designed for alumni in recovery.
Long-Term Recovery & Relapse Prevention
At Stairway Resource Center, we understand that your road to recovery doesn’t end after you complete a rehabilitation program. In fact, we know exactly how important building an addiction relapse prevention toolkit truly is to lasting recovery.
However, the process isn’t something most people can do on their own. Instead, you’ll need professional help developing awareness of your triggers, an understanding of underlying issues that could contribute to relapse, a set of healthy coping mechanisms to address these conditions, and a strong support group.
The aftercare services here at Stairway Resource Center are custom-built to help you address your life after rehabilitation and achieve long-term healing from benzodiazepine addiction.
Levels of Care for Benzo Addiction Treatment
Here at Stairway Resource Center, we promote a collaborative working culture driven by respect, ethics, and integrity in every aspect of our work, and believe it is essential to empower employees to do their job to provide the highest level of services to our clients.
Residential Treatment & Inpatient Care
If you are facing problems with severe benzodiazepine dependence, residential treatment or inpatient care can help you reach stabilization. You can expect to receive 24/7 monitoring or supervision to provide continuous safety, support, and structure.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Once you complete our residential treatment program, you can later attend our intensive outpatient treatment program to ensure you stay on track to long-term recovery. This is a high level of support that does not require overnight stays. The type of care and length of treatment can provide peer support and provide a balance between treatment and your daily life.
Outpatient Program (OP)
If your benzodiazepine addiction is well-managed but you feel additional care can help you stay on track to healing, our outpatient program at Stairway Resource Center may be a good choice. The program provides the flexibility you may need to balance life’s priorities, such as work, school, and relationships, with treatment. However, our outpatient program is less intense than our inpatient care or intensive outpatient program.
Sober Living Options
The early recovery process can be isolating if you do not establish a strong support system. For that reason, finding peer support is crucial in addiction recovery. Our sober living options can allow you to build real, healthy connections with sober individuals like you on a similar path to recovery. Stairway Resource Center’s mission is to create a supportive environment where individuals can thrive as they work toward lasting sobriety.
In our sober living house in Los Angeles, you are encouraged to develop essential life skills, engage in group therapy, and participate in a structured routine that fosters personal growth and accountability. Our sober living home provides a safe, drug and alcohol free environment so you can effectively focus on skill building. Doing so can promote a smoother transition into an independent lifestyle.
Aftercare Planning for Lasting Sobriety
Planning for aftercare is essential after treatment as it creates a guide for sustained recovery by delivering structure, support, and resources to prevent relapse and develop a sober way of living. It reinforces the skills acquired during treatment, builds a network of support, encourages healthy behaviors, and ensures continuous accountability, tackling both substance abuse and simultaneous mental health conditions.
Benzodiazepine Treatment FAQs
Benzodiazepines can affect the central nervous system. Aside from hallucinations and paranoia, serious risks for autotomic instability and seizures can occur.
