Sedative Drugs as Self-Medication for Anxiety

Though millions of people nationwide suffer from anxiety disorders, only one-third of sufferers ever seek professional help. Ultimately, this leads many sufferers of anxiety disorders to attempt to self-medicate—using sedative drugs to regulate and eliminate symptoms of anxiety. Unfortunately, this leaves many with anxiety disorders feeling worse in the long run—with fewer coping mechanisms, no real cure, and a growing dependency on sedatives.

Sedative Drugs as Self-Medication for Anxiety

Sadly, at least 25 million Americans experience untreated anxiety on a regular basis. Because sedative drugs—such as alcohol, barbiturates and benzodiazepines—act as central nervous system depressants, they provide sensations of relaxation when ingested. This process of attempting to suppress symptoms with nonprescribed drugs is known as self-medication. At any given point in time, more than one out of five individuals afflicted with anxiety self-medicates with sedative drugs.

In fact, a recent survey of teenagers found that almost 10 percent had used sedatives in the past year for their anti-anxiety effects—with virtually none carrying a prescription. Like adult self medicating sufferers of anxiety, teen sedative users found other ways of obtaining the drugs—purchasing them on the street, feigning a health problem, and the majority receiving sedative drugs directly from parents with prescriptions.

Complications From Self-Medication and Sedative Dependency

When taken over time, individuals can develop a psychological dependency on sedatives and may have a difficult time coping with stress and anxiety without them. This can actually lead to lower thresholds of tolerance for stress and anxiety, reinforcing the need to turn to sedative medication again. Additionally, those who become sedative dependent end up altering their body chemistry—creating withdrawal symptoms if sedative drug use is stopped.

Furthermore, non-prescription sedative use contributes to almost a third of drug related overdoses, occurring as tolerance—and thus dosage—increases. For this reason, individuals who have developed a sedative drug dependency should consider drug rehabilitation programs that treat both dependency and underlying anxiety issues and disorders. With supervised detox, private physicians, trained addiction specialists and cognitive therapists, a holistic drug recovery center can offer private inpatient treatment for both sedative dependency and the anxiety that caused self medication in the first place.

Related posts:

1. Chronic Pain and Prescription Medication Dependency
2. Dealing With an Anxiety Disorder in Your Daily Life
3. Mental Disorders Marked by Dependency
4. Reasons for Anxiety Attacks
5. Assessing Prescription Drug Usage for Dependency
6. Self-Medicating Physical Pain and Drug Dependency
7. The Dependency – Anxiety Cycle
8. Drug Tolerance and Increased Side Effects
9. Health Risks Associated With Anxiety
10. Pain Management and Prescription Drug Tolerance
11. Doctor Shopping and Prescription Drug Addiction
12. Anxiety Reduction Through Hypnotherapy
13. The Relationship Between PTSD and Dependency
14. Common Risk Factors for PolyDrug Use
15. Reasons for Rapid Tolerance Development
16. Reducing Anxiety Through Art Therapy
17. The Epidemic of Prescription Drug Abuse
18. Chemical Dependency Issues in the Transgender Community
19. Examples of Drug Cross-Tolerance
20. Physical Reactions to Anxiety