Kevin Morris 5m 1,192
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Work can be a great place, but it can easily turn into a stressful atmosphere at a moment’s notice. For most of us, this is to be expected simply as what comes with the territory of our profession. While we might not be able to control the stressful moments themselves, we can control what we do with them. Unfortunately, research shows that an increasing number of people are turning to benzodiazepines to cope with feeling overwhelmed at work. Here’s what to know about this growing trend.
Benzo Scenarios
There are many different kinds of benzodiazepines (benzos) on the market today. Some examples include Xanax, Valium, Librium, Klonopin, and Ativan. What makes these benzos different from one another is whether they are short or long-acting and what they are prescribed for. However, while they do have differences, each of these benzos shares a troubling record of abuse and addiction. They are generally prescribed to be used for the short-term because of their addiction potential.
While benzos have a large portion of recreational users who enjoy the calm and relaxed euphoria produced from the drug, other users can either become addicted to benzos as their prescribed medication. This requires finding doctors who are willing to keep renewing their prescription to the drug. Up until September 2020, this was not an issue as doctors were prescribing benzos at skyrocketing rates. However, as of September of 2020, benzos were labeled by the FDA as black box drugs, signifying the life-threatening risks and high level of potential abuse. Because of this, some doctors are cutting their patients off from these drugs due to the perceived liability of prescribing them.
This comes with the added danger of stopping the drug too abruptly and dealing with the health risks involved, especially for the heart and the brain. For some, even after going through a weaning process to end their prescription, they remain addicted and start looking for ways to purchase the drug illicitly. Any illicit drug use comes with the added danger and high probability of buying fake benzos. These kinds of pills have actually been cut with other drugs, meaning that the potency of each pill is unknown.
In 2016, the FDA released a warning for mixing benzos and opioids, stating that this posed a risk of extreme sleepiness, respiratory depression, coma, and even death. It is important to note that this warning applies primarily to mixing benzos with prescription opioids such as hydrocodone and morphine. What makes this warning especially troubling for the illicit drug industry is the fact that most drug cutting is done by using fentanyl. Like morphine and hydrocodone, fentanyl is an opioid. The potency of fentanyl is 100 times higher than morphine. This means that the subject matter of the FDA warning applies 100 fold to illicit benzos because they are often cut with an opioid at 100 times the potency of other opioids. This also means the risk of death increases 100 fold, and statistics from last year speak to the reality of this tragedy.
Acknowledge the Anxiety
Dealing with anxiety at work is a real challenge that we cannot afford to overlook or downplay. According to some surveys, one in three people admit to experiencing anxiety, and chances are this number is much higher than surveys show. But dealing with anxiety means finding ways to combat it rather than suppress it. That’s what makes benzo use for anxiety so dangerous, whether it is prescription or illicit use. These drugs that are meant to suppress the symptoms of anxiety eventually wear off, and a rebound effect occurs, causing either a relapse or an uptake in dosage to keep feeling the effects of the drugs. This transforms from a coping mechanism to a dependency mechanism and then an all-out defense mechanism that controls even the basic activities of our day.
What once seemed like a good idea to take the edge off a stressful upcoming meeting or task deadline is now an addiction that drives every work activity, every day. This is where anxiety transforms from the circumstances around you to the paranoia of a benzo high wearing off. At this point, benzo overdose becomes a real danger, as users start to take dosage amounts into their own hands to combat the ever-growing symptoms of anxiety.
These scenarios ought not to be the case, but they represent the sad reality of benzo addiction and the growing problems caused by a dead-end road to escape anxiety. People might be afraid of the withdrawal and detox symptoms that are associated with coming off benzos, such as heightened anxiety and even impaired brain function. However, if a drug does this to our body when trying to get off of it, it should put into perspective just how dangerous it is to remain a part of our daily lives. Coming off a strong drug like benzodiazepines is a process that must be done, but it should be done with professional help and a strong support system. This will ensure a better quality of life- and hopefully, a better purpose for our work lives as well.
Sources
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