I’ve been using and occasionally abusing benzos for 15 years and I’ve never understood how people get into so much trouble with them.
I know it’s one of the most dangerous substances when it comes to withdrawals and all but I often see people talking about them as if they were the devil itself and almost every single time they happened to be abusing the shit out of them right out of the gate. Like, yeah, no shit you’re gonna ruin your life if you go that many times over a remotely reasonable dosage, even from a recreational standpoint. I’ve personally been dependent on them throughout some stages of my life and even when I abused them to numb myself and not feel shit I didn’t even come close to the amounts some people take, and I’m no stranger to heavy anxiety and panic attacks.
So what’s going on?
Think about how some people can safely have a drink or two, but other people are alcoholics who can’t safely have a drink because it leads to serious problems.
It’s like that for everything. People just do/don’t have a problem with various things. You experience the benzos a certain way, other people experience them differently
there is the addictive personality aspect, but that’s not for everyone. I’ve been physically addicted to painkillers, and alcohol, both requiring detox and rehab (clean for 12 years). I’ve been taking benzodiazepines for the last 5 years, and using them less than prescribed isn’t a challenge at all.
I think the people who get addicted to them probably have undiagnosed and untreated anxiety disorders, so they’re just properly medicated. it’s like that kid who paid $20 to get high on Adderall at his first college party, just to find out that he had ADHD lol
not that long-term benzodiazepine maintenance is the right way to treat anxiety. it works in the short-term obviously, and if you just keep reusing a short-term solution that’s physically addictive, you’re fucked.