Posted by Sulpicia on June 22, 2001, at 17:04:48
In reply to Addictive meds in general, posted by JCB on June 22, 2001, at 0:58:18
Gil and Gdog -- ditto on this end. Over a decade in recovery myself.
Addiction is simply a common comorbid of many disorders and we can and do
recover to live healthy lives.JCB -- I don't know where you trained or what you're field is, and I totally
agree with you that a good chemical dependancy treatment program can help an
addict, this statement leaves me confused, especially coming from a mental
health professional who treats addicts:
"As far as the benzos (klonapin, xanax, valium, etc) withdrawal is serious if you've taken
a high enough dose for a long enough time. I've had clients that were taking 6-10 pills a day if not more for years.
They usually get detoxed in a hospital over a 2 week period and are given a comperable drug to help manage the
withdrawal symptoms. Here is my point. I've had MANY clients VERY addicted to benzos and most of their
addiction (after being detoxed of course) was purely psychological addiction. I'm not saying they didn't feel anxiety,
I'm sure they were, but it wasn't withdrawal, but rather their perception of life's struggles w/out anti-anxiety
medication to buffer normal day to day stress that we all otherwise learn to deal with w/out medication."
"Physical" addiction does NOT consist entirely of withdrawal nor is "psychological" addiction limited to self-medication and
coping skills. To reduce a complex problem like addiction into physical and psychological components is questionable, and
rather unusual in light of what we know about the brain.
Tho perhaps I'm misunderstanding you??? Entirely possible today!
S.
poster:Sulpicia
thread:1356
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010618/msgs/67509.html