Beyond Benzos: Benzo Addiction, Benzo Withdrawal, and Long-term Recovery from Benzodiazepines

by Taite Adams

Beyond Benzos - Benzo Addiction, Benzo Withdrawal, and Long-term Recovery from Benzodiazepines
Now termed by some as the world's deadliest pill, the class of drugs known as benzodiazepines are on the cusp of racing past opiates to earn the label as this nation's most widely abused class of drugs. With over 150 million prescriptions written annually in the U.S. alone for such popular drugs as Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, and Valium, benzo addiction has reached epidemic proportions in this country and many are still not willing to give it the press it deserves. Let's change that.


Benzodiazepine addiction is something that is inherently difficult to treat because of the stigma attached to it, the often unresolved underlying issues, and the difficulty of benzo withdrawal. Beyond Benzos can help. Written as a guide to benzodiazepine addiction and recovery by someone who has been there, these drugs and the steps needed to break free from them are dissected at every level.


To the millions of people and their loved ones trapped in the vicious circle of benzo addiction, there is a solution to break free from the madness. Author Taite Adams not only explains how benzos work but gives the reader their options for benzo withdrawal and long term recovery from addiction. Whether taking benzos for an anxiety disorder, insomnia or another issue, Adams offers hope, inspiration, and solutions for a life Beyond Benzos .


Tags: benzo addiction, benzodiazepines, xanax withdrawal, prescription drug addiction, benzo withdrawal, benzodiazepine withdrawal, xanax addiction, klonopin addiction, benzos, ativan addiction

210 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2015

About the author

Taite Adams grew up everywhere. The only child of an Air Force navigator and school teacher, moving around became second nature by grade school. By age 20, she was an alcoholic, drug addict and self-proclaimed egomaniac. Pain is a great motivator, as is jail, and she eventually got sober has found peace and joy in this life beyond measure.

At the age of 42, Taite published her first book titled "Kickstart Your Recovery". Now permanently Free on Amazon, the book answers many of the questions that she herself had but was afraid to ask before giving up the fight with addiction and entering recovery over a decade prior. Since, she has published four other recovery books, including her bestselling book on Opiate Addiction, and has moved into the broader spirituality and self-help genres.

Living a spiritual life is all about choices. The practice of spiritual principles and the willingness to remain teachable are the key ingredients for growth. As a spiritual seeker and reader herself, Taite appreciates and respects each and every person who takes the time to read her works and respond with reviews and comments. For more information on books, upcoming releases, and to connect with the author, visit www.taiteadams.com.

Reviews

[Michael Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts out giving lots of good information about the definitions and descriptions of various benzos (benzodiazepines), their effects and how damaging they are and how very difficult they are to come off. However he then slaps the label of "addiction" to all of them and by default to anyone taking them. In my opinion this is a huge mistake because not all people hooked on these drugs regards themselves as addicts. Indeed many got hooked via their doctor misdiagnosing a condition and in so doing giving out these tablets erroneously. He also then goes on to say that going to a standard detox centre is not appropriate for most people because it can take so long to taper safely from these drugs - detox centres usually do rapid detox and this just isn't appropriate, so he strongly and correctly suggests doing a slow taper at home with support, which is what most people do. The later part of the book then tends to contradict this as he talks more and more about addiction as though people on these damaging Psychoactive drugs are in the same category as alcoholics or hard drug users. This simply isn't true and, as such, his recommendation of 12 step programs really doesn't always work for many people. He then suggests detox centres as possible help, contradicting himself from earlier. He also appears to assume that most people will have family members or close friends who will understand withdrawal and act as mentors in tapering. In my experience this often isn't the case - having not taken these druids they often have little understanding, and in some cases family members can be a cause of why the patient got hooked on these drugs in the first place, having gone to a doctor for anxiety and/or depression or trauma. This isn't even considered. Finally he only vaguely mentions the link between the pharmaceutical companies and their financial enmeshment with the health service in prescribing these drugs in the first place. He also fails to mention the full list of possible symptoms in what most people here in the UK refer to as a "Withdrawal Syndrome" in tapering benzos, which can include social ideation and indeed suicide itself in a few cases, social isolation, paranoia and agoraphobia, etc. Indeed the potential symptoms can be exhaustive.
There are a lot of good and helpful parts of this book, but sadly it is also sometimes confusing and somewhat contradictory.