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Yes, in fact benzo addiction is effectively the same thing as alcohol addiction, since they're both primarily acting on your GABA receptors. The side effects, a

Yes, in fact benzo addiction is effectively the same thing as alcohol addiction, since they're both primarily acting on your GABA receptors. The side effects, at least, are the same. Alcohol and benzo withdrawal can be fatal. Thankfully, you were probably not on high enough of a dose for that to occur, but yeah benzo withdrawal can definitely be fatal if the addiction was deep enough.

fapjacks 11y ago
You know, I understand they both act on GABA receptors. I learned a lot in hindsight. But looking back on the experience, and having drank for about twenty years nearly every day, and then abruptly stopped... And here I don't mean sort of having a beer or two. I mean drinking until I pass out. Every day. Anyways, one day I got an ultimatum, and I stopped. And I had some symptoms of withdrawal. It wasn't pleasant. But the benzo withdrawal was so much worse. It was absolute hell.
- lamontcg 11y ago
  I've casually abused all kinds of drugs, including alcohol, pot, MDMA, LSD, etc and never had issues walking away at all. After going through one (prescribed) bottle of Xanax at the lowest dose I had personality changes, addictive drug seeking behavior and about 24 hours of agonizing withdrawal with my skin feeling like it was on fire. Medically I think they have a place for very short term acute emergency treatment and long-term palliative care, but otherwise healthy people really need to stay away from them. And they're nothing like Alcohol, even though they both act on GABA, from experience I can tell you that its a huge mistake to put them in the same class and think that you can treat them the same way.
  - lamontcg 11y ago
    Maybe useful for truly suicidal anxiety disorders as well -- however benzos here are going to be a solution in much the same way as regular expressions -- now you have two problems.
  - fapjacks 11y ago
    I'm basically in the same boat. I've done mountains of everything I can get my hands on for years and years. The benzo withdrawals were physically and psychologically crippling. I genuinely thought I was going to die. You are absolutely right that they are so much worse than alcohol (or really anything else that I've ever experienced).

fapjacks 11y ago

You know, I understand they both act on GABA receptors. I learned a lot in hindsight. But looking back on the experience, and having drank for about twenty years nearly every day, and then abruptly stopped... And here I don't mean sort of having a beer or two. I mean drinking until I pass out. Every day. Anyways, one day I got an ultimatum, and I stopped. And I had some symptoms of withdrawal. It wasn't pleasant. But the benzo withdrawal was so much worse. It was absolute hell.

lamontcg 11y ago
I've casually abused all kinds of drugs, including alcohol, pot, MDMA, LSD, etc and never had issues walking away at all. After going through one (prescribed) bottle of Xanax at the lowest dose I had personality changes, addictive drug seeking behavior and about 24 hours of agonizing withdrawal with my skin feeling like it was on fire. Medically I think they have a place for very short term acute emergency treatment and long-term palliative care, but otherwise healthy people really need to stay away from them. And they're nothing like Alcohol, even though they both act on GABA, from experience I can tell you that its a huge mistake to put them in the same class and think that you can treat them the same way.
- lamontcg 11y ago
  Maybe useful for truly suicidal anxiety disorders as well -- however benzos here are going to be a solution in much the same way as regular expressions -- now you have two problems.
- fapjacks 11y ago
  I'm basically in the same boat. I've done mountains of everything I can get my hands on for years and years. The benzo withdrawals were physically and psychologically crippling. I genuinely thought I was going to die. You are absolutely right that they are so much worse than alcohol (or really anything else that I've ever experienced).