Valium Addiction Treatment in New York

Valium is a benzodiazepine that doctors commonly prescribe to those suffering from anxiety, muscle spasms, or seizures.

When taken in suitable doses, Valium is beneficial to brain activity and the central nervous system. Unfortunately, many people abuse Valium and start taking it in excessive amounts. When this happens, there’s a high risk of dependence and addiction.

If you or a loved one have developed an addiction to Valium, there are many treatment options available to help you recover.

Read on to learn more about how Valium addiction treatment at Long Island Interventions can help you get your life back on track.

Understanding Valium (Diazepam)

Valium, also known as diazepam, is a benzodiazepine that acts as an anxiolytic. It’s administered orally, rectally, nasally, or intravenously and is used to curb the symptoms of various medical ailments.

Common Medical Uses of Valium

The main conditions that Valium is used as a treatment for are anxiety disorders, muscle spasms, and certain types of seizures.

The drug is also used to treat insomnia, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, and restless leg syndrome.

So, how exactly does Valium work?

This benzodiazepine interacts with the brain and central nervous system to achieve its objectives.

It suppresses brain activity and slows down electrical signals’ transmission. As a result, it achieves a relaxing effect that curbs the symptoms of anxiety. When you take it in the prescribed dosage, Valium is good for your brain and central nervous system. 

The Journey to Valium Addiction

We’ve established that Valium consumption isn’t an issue when you take it as directed by your doctor. The problem arises when you become mentally and physically dependent on the substance.

This dependence evolves into addiction when you start exhibiting uncontrollable behavior to obtain and use valium.

When this happens, you enter a vicious cycle of rising tolerance.

As your tolerance for Valium increases, you need a higher dosage to achieve the same effect. If you continue down this path, you start taking dangerously high doses of Valium. 

Biological, Psychological, and Environmental Factors Contributing to Addiction

Some people are more likely to develop addictions than others due to an array of factors. These can be classified as genetic, environmental, and psychological.

Genetic Factors

Nobody is born a drug addict. That being said, the likelihood of someone developing an addiction later on in life partially depends on genetic factors.

Those with a family history of substance abuse are more susceptible to developing drug or alcohol addictions.

Environmental Factors

Environmental factors can also play a major part in a person becoming an addict. The most common environmental cause of drug addiction is peer pressure.

If you spend a lot of your time around individuals who partake in a given drug, you become more prone to following suit. More often than not, this can develop into dependence and addiction.

Psychological Factors

People who were raised in a turbulent family environment or experienced significant trauma in their childhoods are more prone to addiction. It’s important to not take the psychological toll that these childhood experiences can have lightly.

Signs and Symptoms of Valium Addiction

When a person is addicted to Valium, they’re likely to exhibit various symptoms. These symptoms can be physical, psychological, or behavioral.

Physical Symptoms

The physical symptoms of Valium addiction include drowsiness, dizziness, and slowed breathing.

Psychological Symptoms

As for the psychological symptoms, they can come in the form of depression, increased anxiety, and mood swings.

Behavioral Symptoms

Valium addicts may also display behavioral symptoms, such as doctor shopping, and taking higher doses than prescribed.

Additionally, they tend to isolate themselves from loved ones. Therefore, if you have a friend or family member that you know is taking Valium, encourage them to seek help if you notice them becoming withdrawn.

Dangers of Long-Term Valium Misuse

When someone abuses Valium for a long time, they become at risk of falling victim to the dangers of long-term Valium misuse. These dangers include:

Potential for Overdose

As with any drug, consistently taking excessive doses of Valium makes the risk of overdose significantly higher.

A Valium overdose can lead to serious illness and can be fatal in some cases. 

Cognitive Impairments and Memory Issues

Long-term misuse of benzodiazepines like Valium can lead to cognitive impairment because these drugs inhibit electrical signal transmissions in your brain. Valium can also lead to memory issues that can develop into dementia.

Mixing Valium With Other Substances

Long-term Valium abusers are likely to start mixing it with alcohol and other drugs. Mixing Valium with alcohol is extremely dangerous and can lead to a slowed heartbeat or loss of consciousness.

Additionally, it can cause respiratory depression. This condition slows and shallows your breathing, which leads to inadequate oxygen levels in your body. As a result, there’s a high risk of brain damage, and even death.

Navigating Valium Withdrawal and Detoxification

The first step in overcoming a Valium addiction is to realize you have a problem and abstain from taking the drug.

When you do so, you enter a detoxification phase that comes with withdrawal symptoms, such as psychosis, seizures, and anxiety. The severity of these symptoms depends on how much Valium you were taking.

As a result, it’s essential to go through detoxification with hands-on medical supervision to avoid complications and relapse.

At Long Island Interventions, our team of experienced medical professionals will guide you through these tough times.

Comprehensive Treatment Strategies for Valium Addiction

When you embark on your Valium addiction treatment journey, it’s important to be aware of all the treatment options at your disposal.

Here’s an overview of the options that Long Island Interventions has to offer:

Inpatient vs. Outpatient Rehabilitation

The main decision to make is whether you’ll pursue an inpatient or outpatient treatment program.

While some people may be wary of the highly involved strategy of in-patient treatment, it’s that same hands-on approach that’s highly beneficial due to the around-the-clock medical and emotional support it provides.

In-patient treatment offers a structured environment that helps keep patients on the right path to recovery. It eliminates distractions and potential triggers that lead to relapse.

That being said, in-patient treatment is simply not practical in some cases. For example, a patient who has kids at home can’t leave them by themselves while they’re at the treatment center.

In such cases, outpatient treatment is the better option.

It involves splitting your time between your home and the treatment center. You visit the facility at scheduled slots during the day and spend your nights at home.

Counseling and Behavioral Therapies

At Long Island Interventions, we also offer counseling and behavioral therapies that aid the recovery process significantly.

Here are a couple of examples:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy is used to treat drug addiction as well as the mental health issues that contribute to addiction.

It trains patients to alter their thought patterns for the better. By replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, patients can go a long way in overcoming their Valium addiction.

The reason is that thoughts and emotions are what fuels behavior. Therefore, a person who learns how to control their thoughts is less likely to resort to old habits and relapse.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

In a similar fashion to cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy plays on the link between drug addiction and mental and emotional health.

It teaches patients to manage their emotions and deal with the highs and lows of life in a healthier manner. This enhanced mindset reduces the possibility of relapse and also allows patients to build healthier relationships.

Aftercare and Relapse Prevention

When you complete your in-patient or out-patient program at Long Island Interventions, your journey to recovery is still not over.

Getting Valium out of your system and staying sober for an extended period is an achievement for sure. However, you still need to learn how to deal with what life throws at you post-treatment without falling into relapse.

This is where Long Island Interventions’ sober coaches come in. These coaches provide emotional support and guidance to help you navigate life and learn to live through it in a sober state.

They teach you how to deal with relapse triggers and stressful circumstances without going back to using Valium as a coping mechanism.  

Challenges in Valium Addiction Treatment

Treating Valium addiction comes with several challenges. The most significant challenge is internal. It’s a person’s denial that they have a problem or their reluctance to face that problem due to fear of withdrawal symptoms.

Another challenge is polysubstance use. When someone is addicted to another substance as well as Valium, this can significantly complicate the treatment process.

Conclusion

The first step in overcoming Valium addiction is realizing that you have a problem. Once you do so, there are many Valium addiction treatment plans you can pursue.

At Long Island Interventions, we offer comprehensive in-patient and outpatient treatment programs that’ll put you on the right track toward recovery. We also offer post-treatment assistance through our sober coaches.

There’s always hope to get your life back on track. Take the first step today.

References

• https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-addiction-genetic/
• https://www.tranquilshores.org/blog/2017/october/how-your-environment-affects-addiction/
• https://neurosciencenews.com/cognition-benzodiazepine-20141/
• https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral
• https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/22838-dialectical-behavior-therapy-dbt