Can Holistic Methods Help Overcome Benzodiazepine Addiction?
The Dalai Lama famously said, “With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.” Unfortunately, for those individuals struggling with benzodiazepine addiction, the realization of one’s potential and self-confidence have usually been obliterated. Now, the good news is there are many ways to get them back, including holistic means, methods, and modalities.
The Prevalence of Addiction in the U.S.
Addiction remains a serious and prevalent problem in the U.S. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “In 2022, 48.7 million people aged 12 or older (or 17.3%) had a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year, including 29.5 million who had an alcohol use disorder (AUD), 27.2 million who had a drug use disorder (DUD), and 8.0 million people who had both an AUD and a DUD.”
Many of these people struggle with benzodiazepine addiction. Also, many of these people struggle with co-occurring addictions and mental illness.
The Prevalence of Co-Occurring Disorders in the U.S.
Many people don’t realize just how common co-occurring disorders currently are in the U.S. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “7.7 million adults have co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. Of the 20.3 million adults with substance use disorders, 37.9% also had mental illnesses. Among the 42.1 million adults with mental illness, 18.2% also had substance use disorders.”
Many people with co-occurring disorders also struggle with issues related to trauma. According to the peer-reviewed journal Psychological Medicine, “The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) defines a traumatic event (TE) as exposure to threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence. Such exposure may occur directly or indirectly by witnessing the event, learning of the event occurring to a loved one, or repeated confrontation with aversive details of such event (e.g. emergency responders). Exposure to TEs is a prerequisite for the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is also associated with a wide range of other adverse mental and physical health outcomes.”
For people struggling with benzodiazepine addiction, PTSD can be relatively common. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the National Center for PTSD, “Most of us will experience at least one trauma in our lifetime that could lead to PTSD. There are factors that put you at risk of experiencing a trauma, many of which are not under your control. For example, if you were directly exposed to the trauma or injured, you are more likely to develop PTSD.” Now, for these individuals, it is important to connect with a recovery center that focuses on healing at the cellular level.
Healing at the Cellular Level
When it comes to healing at the cellular level, it is all about healing all the components of the “Self:” the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. This is actually what “holistic” healing is all about. It means to heal “the whole” Self.
When one focuses on healing at the cellular level, they understand that they cannot fully heal physically if they are not well mentally. They cannot heal mentally if they are not healthy and well-balanced emotionally. Also, for most people, no healing can happen without spiritual wellness. Healing at the cellular level is also about getting to the underlying root/core causes of one’s benzodiazepine addiction.
Getting to the Root/Core Causes of Addiction
Many people don’t realize that addiction is about much more than the actual drink or the drug. This is why many people in 12-Step programs say, “It’s about the thinking, not the drinking.” Also this is true with benzodiazepine addiction.
Of course, getting to the root/core causes of one’s issues to heal at the cellular level is much easier said than done. It takes acceptance and action. Also, it takes the right type of treatment plan, one that focuses on individualized and comprehensive addiction care.
The Multi-Angled Approach: The Importance of Individualized and Comprehensive Addiction Care
Individualized and comprehensive addiction and mental health care is often referred to as the multi-angled approach. This approach is critical because it focuses on the cellular healing that was previously mentioned.
The multi-angled approach also utilizes as many recovery means, methods, and modalities as possible. This includes modalities from the area of psychotherapy like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), methods of experiential therapy like nature immersion therapy and surf therapy, and means of holistic healing like massage, yoga, and meditation. The multi-angled approach is also an ideal way to treat individuals struggling with benzodiazepine addiction.
Better Understanding Benzodiazepines
Many people have heard of benzodiazepines (commonly referred to as “benzos”), but are unfamiliar with exactly what they are. According to the peer-reviewed journal Neurology International, “Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are among one of the most widely prescribed drug classes in the United States. BZDs are a class of psychoactive drugs known for their depressant effect on the central nervous system (CNS). They quickly diffuse through the blood-brain barrier to affect the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA and exert sedative effects. Related to their rapid onset and immediate symptom relief, BZDs are used for those struggling with sleep, anxiety, spasticity due to CNS pathology, muscle relaxation, and epilepsy,” but “One of the debilitating side effects of BZDs is their addictive potential.”
It is this last factor that is so crucial. Benzodiazepines can be highly addictive and difficult to stop using for many people.
Better Understanding Benzodiazepine Addiction
Benzodiazepines can be extremely dangerous. According to the peer-reviewed journal Mental Health Clinician, “Benzodiazepine (BZD) abuse has reached epidemic levels and results in poor outcomes, particularly when combined with concomitant central nervous system depressants. BZDs are abused most commonly in combination with opioids and alcohol. Emergency department visits and related deaths have soared in recent years.”
It is also important to remember that addiction is a “disease” (as well as a “family disease”). Addiction is not some sort of moral failing, and people who become addicted to benzodiazepines are not bad people looking to do harm; rather, they are sick people who need to get well.
Many people with benzodiazepine addiction are also unaware that they even have a problem. This is why being able to spot the signs and symptoms of benzodiazepine addiction in a loved one can be crucial. Being able to do so could mean the difference between short-term side effects and long-term consequences.
The Signs and Symptoms of Benzodiazepine Addiction
While everyone is going to have a different experience, there are many signs and symptoms of benzodiazepine addiction that are universal. The following are just a few of those signs and symptoms:
- Losing interest in activities once enjoyed
- Isolating away from close friends and family
- Constantly trying to find more benzodiazepines
- Struggling with alcohol and other substances
- Experiencing otherwise unexplained physical ailments like gastrointestinal problems
- Changes in appetite
- Experiencing trouble with sleep cycles, including sleeping too much and not sleeping enough (insomnia)
- Feelings of anxiety and overwhelming stress
- Feeling sad, lonely, hopeless, and depressed
- Having feelings of self-harm
- Experiencing suicidal ideations
As one can see, these are serious symptoms. That is why if any, many, or all of these symptoms are present, it is highly recommended that professional help be sought as soon as possible. Some of that professional help may involve psychotherapy.
Healing From Benzodiazepine Addiction: Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy can be a very highly effective tool for individuals struggling with benzodiazepine addiction. This is especially true regarding dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
CBT can be particularly beneficial because it helps get to those root/core causes of addiction that were previously mentioned. These are the underlying issues that correlate with the negative way that one views themselves and the world around them. Now, these negative views are also directly linked to one’s negative addictive behaviors.
CBT has been effectively used for over sixty years. It is also focused on “symptom reduction.” According to the peer-reviewed journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, “Consistent with the medical model of psychiatry, the overall goal of treatment is symptom reduction, improvement in functioning, and remission of the disorder. In order to achieve this goal, the patient becomes an active participant in a collaborative problem-solving process to test and challenge the validity of maladaptive cognitions and to modify maladaptive behavioral patterns… Although these strategies greatly emphasize cognitive factors, physiological, emotional, and behavioral components are also recognized for the role that they play in the maintenance of the disorder.”
Healing From Benzodiazepine Addiction: Psychedelic Therapy
Another highly effective therapy for treating benzodiazepine addiction is psychedelic therapy. This is especially true now that many of the stigmas associated with psychedelic therapy are starting to diminish (slowly but surely).
According to the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychology, “We are currently witnessing a growth in interest in psychedelic substances and their potential use for the promotion of mental health. After an early phase set between the ‘50s and the ‘70s of the previous century when applications were being tested in psychotherapy and, more specifically, for the treatment of neuroses, alcoholism, end-of-life anxiety, and chronic pain, psychedelic research almost got to a standstill. While modern clinical studies are obtaining promising results in some of the most difficult-to-treat psychiatric populations, a portion of patients do not seem to benefit from psychedelic-assisted therapies (PAT) or end up relapsing.” This is the reality of addiction; relapse is possible.
Many people don’t realize just how common relapse in the U.S. is. According to the peer-reviewed thesis, Addiction Relapse Prevention, by Doctors Guenzel and McChargue, “One primary concern in addiction treatment is the high rate of relapses within a short period after even the most intensive treatment. Many studies have shown relapse rates of approximately 50% within the first 12 weeks after completion of intensive inpatient programs that often last 4 to 12 weeks or more and can cost tens of thousands of dollars.” Holistic healing methods can greatly help with relapse prevention.
Healing From Benzodiazepine Addiction: Yoga
Yoga has been practiced for over three thousand years. Originally, it was used as a solely religious and/or spiritual practice, but it has since moved into the realm of addiction and mental health recovery.
The renowned yogi and spiritual teacher B.K.S. Iyengar famously said, “We must create a marriage between the awareness of the body and that of the mind. When two parties do not cooperate, there is unhappiness on both sides.” Yoga helps to create this union.
There are many benefits for benzodiazepine addiction that can be attained via yoga. According to the International Journal of Yoga (IJOY), “Therapeutic yoga is defined as the application of yoga postures and practice to the treatment of health conditions. Yoga therapy involves instruction in yogic practices and teachings to prevent reduce or alleviate structural, physiological, emotional, and spiritual pain, suffering, or limitations. Yogic practices enhance muscular strength and body flexibility, promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function, promote recovery from and treatment of addiction, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, improve sleep patterns, and enhance overall well-being and quality of life.” Another highly beneficial holistic method is meditation.
Healing From Benzodiazepine Addiction: Meditation and Reflection
Like yoga, meditation has also been practiced for thousands of years. It has also become an integral part of the recovery landscape.
B.K.S. Iyengar also said, “Meditation is oneness when there is no longer time, sex, or country. The moment when, after you have concentrated on doing a pose (or anything else) perfectly, you hold it and then forget everything, not because you want to forget but because you are concentrated: this is meditation.” Reflection and meditation also offer a myriad of benefits for those struggling with addiction.
Meditation can help one heal physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. According to the International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda (AYU), “During the process of meditation, accumulated stresses are removed, energy is increased, and health is positively affected overall. Research has confirmed a myriad of health benefits associated with the practice of meditation. These include stress reduction, decreased anxiety, decreased depression, reduction in pain (both physical and psychological), improved memory, and increased efficiency… Meditation increases regional cerebral blood flow in the frontal and anterior cingulate regions of the brain, increases efficiency in the brain’s executive attentional network, and increases electroencephalogram (EEG) coherence.”
Healing From Benzodiazepine Addiction: Surf Therapy
Another highly beneficial therapy that is a mix of experiential therapy and holistic healing is surf therapy. Surf therapy is also an ideal modality for Hawaii’s Big Island because it has some of the best surf breaks in the world. In fact, one of the best surf breaks on the Hamakua Coast is a mere 15-minute journey from our luxury 30-acre property here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab.
The benefits of surfing and surf therapy are so vast they can be hard to quantify. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Carefully planned water activities tailored to the needs of the individual can contribute to correct psychosocial and cognitive development. The International Surf Therapy Organization summarizes the benefits of adequately indicated surf therapy as follows: improved physical health and mobility; improved mental health, including reduction of specific symptoms, such as posttraumatic stress and depression; improved well-being (strengthening of trust and confidence, encouragement of independence, resilience and protective coping strategies) and improved social skills.”
Healing From Benzodiazepine Addiction at the Cellular Level With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe in long-term success over short-term “fixes.” This is why we only offer individualized and comprehensive recovery plans with a focus on the future.
Benzodiazepine addiction can make one feel like there is no longer any hope. At Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we know just how false that is. Yes, there is hope. Recovery is just over the horizon line. We can help make it a reality.
Benzodiazepines are deadly and dangerous. They can also be very hard to quit. It is also important to understand why detox is critical for those with benzodiazepine addiction, as well as ways in which one can recover in the long term. The good news is there are many effective means, methods, and modalities for recovering from benzodiazepine addiction. If you feel like you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help get you on the positive path toward long-term recovery right away. You don’t have to do this alone. For more information about effective addiction and mental health treatment options, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.