Young couple talking to each other sincerely while sitting on floor in front of a couch

Benzodiazepine Detoxification

Table of Contents:

Private Benzos Detoxification in Northern California

Benzodiazepines are some of the oldest addictive drugs on the market, and many people don’t realize it because they obtained their prescriptions legally. While this class of drug is safe and effective for short-term treatment of multiple symptoms, problems arise when the doctor or patient extend the medication period. When this is the case, Diamond House Detox is here to help.

How Diamond House Detox Can Help

If you’re looking for a benzo detox center with private rooms near Sacramento, Diamond House is your destination. When you come to Diamond House Detox, we treat you — not as a client, but as a member of our family. We understand how crucial our assistance is in your recovery process. That’s why our overall treatment plan aims to ease withdrawal symptoms, prevent complications and begin addressing abstinence.

We accomplish all these goals in a luxurious benzodiazepine detox treatment facility near Sacramento in the suburb of Elk Grove. We treat our guests with the compassion and privacy they deserve. To ensure you get individualized attention, we welcome only six guests at a time to our benzo detox clinic with private rooms. We’re proud to provide you or your loved one with a comfortable and safe medical environment to wean off of benzodiazepines. We offer same-day placement, day or night, along with a free insurance verification.

Our most uniquely effective amenity is the dining experience. While the fare at your average detox facility may be little better than cafeteria food, we believe healthy, delicious food is an irreplaceable component in healing your mind and body. Chef Bob Birnschein is proud to offer a gourmet seasonal menu full of dishes that will delight and nourish.

In combination with our stellar amenities, the dining experience cements Diamond House as the best benzodiazepine detox center in Northern California.

Contact Us

When Is It Time for Benzo Rehab?

Benzodiazepines, also known as “benzos,” are a class of drug developed to treat insomnia and anxiety, among other things. Leo Sternbach created them almost purely by accident when he worked for the Hoffman-LaRoche Company in the 1950s. Development proceeded quietly for the next decade or so, and the first benzodiazepine saw public release in 1960. The first name-brand benzodiazepine available was Librium, which is still available today. Other available benzodiazepines include:

  • Taking greater doses of the drug
  • Seeking more of the drug after a prescription has run out
  • Doctor shopping
  • Prescription forging
  • Increasing isolation and social withdrawal
  • Failure to fulfill responsibilities at work, school or home
  • Loss of interest in hobbies and activities

Even one of these signs can point to benzo addiction, and more signs present translates to a more significant level of dependence. Appropriate treatment is the only way to break free from benzodiazepine use. Diamond House Detox is a top benzo addiction treatment center in California. If you need benzo rehab in California, contact us today.

Verify Your Insurance

Benzodiazepines, also known as “benzos,” are a class of drug developed to treat insomnia and anxiety, among other things. Leo Sternback created them almost purely by accident when he worked for the Hoffman-LaRoche Company in the 1930s. Development proceeded quietly for the next decade or so, and the first benzodiazepine saw public release in 1957. The first name-brand benzodiazepine available was Librium, which is still available today. Other available benzodiazepines include:

  • Alprazolam (Xanax)
  • Clobazam (Onfi)
  • Clonazepam (Klonopin)
  • Clorazepate (Tranxene)
  • Diazepam (Acudial, Diastat, Valium)
  • Lorazepam (Ativan)
  • Temazepam (Restoril)
  • Triazolam (Halcion)

Oral formulations of benzodiazepines all come in tablet forms. Some of them offer extended-release tablets, dissolving tablets or capsules. The most popular formulations ⁠— alprazolam, diazepam and lorazepam ⁠— are available as an oral liquid solution. Some benzodiazepines are available in injectable form, and diazepam even comes as a rectal gel.

Your doctor might prescribe you a drug in this class for conditions that might relate to overactivity in specific nerves of the brain. Some of these conditions include:

  • Nervousness and anxiety
  • Panic disorders
  • Muscle pain or spasms
  • Seizures
  • Insomnia
  • Status epilepticus
  • Alcohol withdrawal

Initially, doctors prescribed benzodiazepines as a replacement for highly addictive barbiturates. At the time, people mistakenly believed benzos were both safe and effective.

While the effectiveness is clear, the safety element of Benzodiazepines has proven to be patently false. Taking Benzos produces the advertised side effects, such as muscle relaxation, sedation and reduced anxiety. However, Benzodiazepines like lorazepam also come with a host of unpleasant side effects ranging from mild to severe depending on the dosage and duration of treatment, such as:

  • Drowsiness and tiredness
  • Dizziness
  • Loss of orientation
  • Confusion
  • Weakness
  • Diarrhea
  • Dry mouth
  • Headache
  • Restlessness
  • Sleep disturbance
  • Constipation
  • Frequent and difficult urination
  • Blurred vision
  • Reduced libido
  • Irritability or aggression
  • Feelings of depression

Despite the laundry list of potential side effects, benzodiazepines are still ripe for abuse when people are unaware of the risks of these medications.

Benzodiazepines act as a sedative, slowing down your body’s functions. This is what makes Benzos highly effective for both sleep problems and anxiety. Part of the danger with this class of drug, however, is that it works directly on the brain, changing how it functions to achieve the desired calming effects.

Our brains contain dozens of different neurotransmitters, each responsible for communicating messages between brain cells. When you feel anxious, your brain has become overactive or excited. Tranquilizing neurotransmitters then slow down brain activity — specifically gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA.

Every benzo works by enhancing the effect of the neurotransmitter GABA. Benzodiazepines increase activity in the brain at the sites of receptors for this neurotransmitter. This stops neurons from operating at their full capacity, slowing the brain and the nervous system and resulting in calm and relaxation. GABA reduces activity specifically in the areas of the brain responsible for:

  • Memory
  • Emotions
  • Rational thought
  • Essential functions, such as breathing

While Benzodiazepines can be effective in the short term, after a few months of use, your brain can adjust to their effects, causing them to stop working or requiring higher doses to feel the same effects.

While benzodiazepines are safer than other sedatives and tranquilizers for short-term use, people can and do experience benzodiazepine use disorder for several different reasons.

  1. Increased tolerance: Over time, the brain develops a tolerance to the drug, and the affected GABA neurons become underactive. When this happens, taking the drug away suddenly can launch a person headlong into withdrawal.
  2. Shorter-acting benzos: There are two broad categories of benzodiazepines: shorter-acting and longer-acting. The longer a drug is active, the longer it takes to eliminate from your system and the longer it takes to develop withdrawal symptoms. If someone takes longer-acting benzodiazepines like Librium, it usually takes around a month or two to develop the reaction. Shorter-acting drugs like Xanax and Tranxene take a shorter time to achieve the same result, with dependence becoming established in as few as seven days of use.
  3. Misuse: Misuse of benzodiazepines is common and rising. More 12% of adults in the U.S. have used benzodiazepines in the past year, and misuse of a prescription constituted more than 2% of that use. 
  4. Long-term use: Older people prescribed benzos have a troubling relationship with them as well. About a quarter of older adults who take these medications go on to long-term use. For every 10 days added to a benzodiazepine prescription, the risk of long-term use almost doubles for the following year.

People who begin abusing benzodiazepine medications often do so because they find the drug has euphoric effects. Those who become dependent on benzos through a prescription may not experience the high, but those who begin taking the drug recreationally do so because they perceive the euphoria to be worth the risk.

Often, neither group of people understands the risks associated with taking benzodiazepines over the long term. Some of the chronic issues that can arise when taking benzos include:

  • Memory loss
  • Amnesia
  • Confused thoughts
  • Fatigue and lethargy
  • Sleepiness and drowsiness
  • Difficulty sleeping and insomnia
  • Disturbing dreams or nightmares
  • Personality change
  • Altered or irrational emotional response
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Irritability and aggression
  • Paranoia
  • Weakness and diminished motor skills

Benzodiazepines can cause severe changes that make a person almost unrecognizable, even to themselves. Those changes may become permanent, as benzos cause associated brain damage that leads to an increased risk of developing dementia. A 2014 study reported people who used benzodiazepines for more than six months had an 84% increase in their chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Benzodiazepines are notoriously difficult to withdraw from. Unlike many other drugs, some of the withdrawal symptoms can be deadly, making it dangerous to quit cold turkey. The most dangerous symptom to avoid is seizures, which can cause permanent brain damage or death. During detox, users must also address these other extremely unpleasant symptoms:

  • Anxiety and panic attacks
  • Irritability and irrational anger
  • Insomnia
  • Sweating
  • Nausea and dry retching
  • Headaches
  • Aching muscles
  • Muscle stiffness and cramps
  • Inability to concentrate
  • Sensory distortions
  • Heart palpitations
  • Tremors
  • Psychosis
  • Hallucinations

Due to the severity of withdrawal symptoms and the potential for seizures to occur, the only safe way to rid your body of benzodiazepines is to undergo medical detoxification.

Medical detox is the process of eliminating substances from your body with the assistance of medical professionals. A physician will evaluate the severity of your substance abuse by gathering your history and administering a drug test. They use this information to create a detoxification plan that generally includes monitoring your vital signs, tapering you off the drug and prescribing medications to reduce the risk of seizures and minimize your discomfort from withdrawal symptoms.

Detoxing from benzodiazepines is a crucial first step to recovery due to the severity of withdrawal symptoms. Without medical supervision, attempting to withdraw from benzo use will be both painful and dangerous. Diamond House Detox offers a benzodiazepine taper program in CA in a safe, holistic environment

Benzodiazepine withdrawal primarily occurs in three phases. The first phase is early withdrawal, which typically starts within a few hours to a few days of stopping the medication and can last several days. During the early withdrawal phase, individuals report a recurrence of symptoms the benzos worked to suppress, like anxiety and insomnia, as their brain tries to readjust to functioning without drugs. The tapering process can aid in reducing the rebound effect.

After a few days of not taking benzodiazepines, an individual may enter the acute withdrawal phase, lasting between two weeks and several months. This phase makes up the bulk of withdrawal and can include symptoms such as anxiety, panic or short-term memory impairment. During the treatment process, your doctor may recommend specific medications to help reduce more severe symptoms. It is also wise to enter therapy and support groups to help defuse the more complicated emotions that come with overcoming addiction.

While it is rare, there is a chance an individual may move into the third stage of protracted withdrawal syndrome. This recovery phase can last months to years after someone stops taking benzos and can result in symptoms like tingling in the arms and legs or cognitive deficits. Throughout detox, individuals will have access to mental health services and support to manage protracted withdrawal symptoms.

While there is no set timeline for withdrawing from benzo abuse, getting help from medical and mental health professionals can greatly help reduce the symptoms’ intensity and duration. Medical detox can aid in the safe removal of benzos from the body, and taking advantage of therapy and family services can promote a smooth recovery.

Removing benzos from your system is just the first step to recovery. Addiction is not just physical. It has a vast array of psychological components that can complicate recovery. If you don’t address the issues that led you to abuse benzodiazepines in the first place, your risk of relapsing is high. The following forms of addiction therapy can help bring your recovery into sharper focus.

  • Art therapy: Talk therapy is a valuable tool in unraveling the threads of addiction, but art therapy helps uncover feelings about your sustance use disorder that are hard to talk about or access in regular therapy.
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy: CBT is a specialized type of talk therapy designed to help you make permanent changes to addictive behaviors and thought patterns.
  • Dual diagnosis: In many cases, addiction comes paired with another mental illness. Dual diagnosis and therapy designed to treat both issues can greatly improve your outcomes.

Addiction treatment programs use both medical detox and one or more types of therapy to treat the whole person. It’s essential to maintain therapy support for as long as possible after you complete your treatment program. While you may achieve stability in treatment, the sheer unpredictability of life can throw you off your track to permanent sobriety if you don’t have the therapy resources to help deal with it.

Staying sober requires a genuine commitment to recovery and an arsenal of tools to help maintain that commitment. Willpower is invaluable throughout the process, but you may sometimes find you need some assistance replenishing your emotional resources.

Support groups are a helpful source of emotional support as well as strategies for making recovery work. Building relationships with people who have been in your shoes is a smart way to build a supportive network for yourself and create a long-term foundation for recovery.

After completing your treatment program, you’ll probably be brimming with excitement and have the motivational momentum to dive into your newly sober life. However, staying sober requires a genuine commitment to recovery and an arsenal of tools to help maintain that commitment. Willpower is invaluable throughout the process, but you may sometimes find you need some help replenishing your emotional resources.

Try some of these tips to stay on the right track.

  • Don’t get overconfident: You may feel so sure of your new sobriety that you go right back to the old habits and patterns that led to addiction in the first place.
  • Create a support network: Having a trusted circle of family and friends that can help when you’re struggling with sobriety is key to creating a safety net for tougher times.
  • Join a support group: Support groups are a helpful source of emotional support as well as strategies for making recovery work. Building relationships with people who have been in your shoes through group therapy is a smart way to build a supportive network for yourself and create a long-term foundation for recovery.
  • Avoid enablers: While you’re building up a support network, you must also do the hard work of removing enablers from your inner circle. Whether it’s a friend or family member that facilitated your addiction before, you have to set clear boundaries.
  • Don’t self-isolate: You don’t need to be a social butterfly to succeed in recovery, but avoiding isolation and committing to a minimum amount of social interaction can keep you engaged and not thinking about using again.
  • Find your passion: Without benzodiazepines in your life, you’re going to have a lot more time on your hands. Doing something you love will help you find a feeling of purpose.
  • Take an active role in your health: Benzos are rough on the body, and you’ll be amazed by how much healthier you feel when you eat well, sleep enough and get some regular exercise.
  • Forgive yourself: You may have a host of regrets for things you did while using benzos, but stewing in them will only make things worse. Focus your energy on being the best person you can be going forward.

The main theme behind continued sobriety is to accept change. Some of it, like cutting out friends you used to use with, can be difficult and painful. Other parts of change can be freeing and exciting, like when you find a hobby or cause to devote your time to. Either way, the change is necessary and positive in the long run. With appropriate support and resources, you’ll be able to keep your sobriety going strong.

Start Your Inpatient or Outpatient Benzodiazepine Detox Near Sacramento Today

If you or your loved one has become addicted to benzodiazepines, it’s essential to begin a medically supervised detoxification program as soon as possible. When you contact Diamond House Detox, we can perform an evaluation over the phone to help you find a benzo addiction treatment center in California that will meet your specific needs or determine if our outpatient programs would be a better fit for you. In most cases, we can get you placed in treatment the same day you call. There’s no time like the present. Your path to recovery is just one confidential call away. Contact Diamond House Detox, and reclaim your life.

Speak with an addiction counselor today

Explore Additional Benzodiazepine Addiction Resources