Beating back an addiction to Valium can be incredibly empowering. Rather than living as a slave to a chemical, a person in recovery has the skills needed for impulse control. A person in recovery might also feel capable of avoiding the people, places, and things that spark a craving for Valium. People in recovery are just different, and the hard work they do each day is responsible for that remarkable change. It’s tempting to use this empowering attitude during the early part of the recovery process, and people might feel as though the best way to get started is to go through a cold-turkey withdrawal process. Unfortunately, this approach is dangerous, and as a result, it’s never recommended.

Life-Threatening Reponses

If a person accustomed to taking Valium on a regular basis ceases that drug use abruptly, seizures can take hold. A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal suggests that these seizures are somewhat rare, as they took place in just three of 19 people who entered a hospital for help with a benzodiazepine addiction. However, the seizures that develop can be intense, and they can come in clusters or waves that leave people fighting for their lives.

This sort of problem is almost entirely preventable, however, as long as people who have addictions to Valium get the help of a medical professional. In a formal detox program, people use a graded tapering process that allows them to transition from addiction to sobriety at a slow and steady pace. With a program like this, people won’t shock their minds to such a degree that seizures become likely. Instead, the slow progression will allow them to make the transition in a safe and controlled manner.

Typical Therapies

A medical expert is firmly in charge of a safe Valium withdrawal process, and that expert looks for signs and symptoms of serious medical problems, including:

  • Hallucinations
  • Sweating
  • Intense anxiety
  • Nightmares
  • Dilated pupils

If these symptoms take hold, the tapering process is moving much too quickly, and a dosage adjustment is in order. Close monitoring like this is considered the best way in which to keep someone safe while they adjust to sobriety.

Some people choose to go through this process at home, and they check in with their doctors on a regular basis in order to ensure that everything is progressing properly. However, a study in the journal Canadian Family Physician suggests that this approach might be best for people who don’t have an addiction in play. Those who have been taking the drug therapeutically and who want to stop doing so might be able to adhere to a tapering schedule, the authors suggest, but those who have a compulsive need to take the drug might find it too tempting to bump up their doses or otherwise abuse the drug. People like this might need supervision that only a residential program can provide.

If you’d like the help of a comprehensive program for your Valium addiction, we hope you’ll contact us at Black Bear Lodge. We have a variety of treatment options we can explain to you right over the phone. Please call us at 706-914-2327 to find out more.