The marketing of addictive drugs
Below is a “sponsored” article (sic) about benzodiazepines published in the Seattle Times. There are several “facts” with which I take issue in this marketing piece, but the most dangerous is the concept of their use for withdrawal symptoms from alcohol. Any provider who has taken Psychopharms 101 in college knows these highly-addictive drugs are taken up into the alcohol receptors in the brain, and the below promoted use for alcohol withdrawal is equivalent to promoting vodka for that purpose. I have seen patients who necessitate an ER visit for violent withdrawal symptoms from benzos after only one week of use. I won’t rant on about these substances and the harm they have caused to Americans over the years, including inducing bipolar disorder, but please, if you find you have alcohol-use disorder or profound anxiety, talk to a non-prescribing licensed medical health counselor first, not a legal drug pusher.—MR
Benzodiazepines: What to know
The number of things that can impact a person’s mental well-being is wide-ranging and varies with each person. Where some issues may require long-term psychiatric treatment and medication, other issues can be more immediate and have a shorter-term treatment plan. This is where benzodiazepines — often referred to as benzos — can come into play. Two well-known types of benzos are Valium and Xanax.
