What benzos are
Medicines that calm the brain, and can be hard to stop
Benzodiazepines slow down activity in the brain. Doctors prescribe them for anxiety, panic attacks, sleep problems, seizures, and muscle spasms. They work fast, which is part of why they help, and part of why they can be hard to give up.
Common names
Alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), lorazepam (Ativan), diazepam (Valium), and temazepam (Restoril).
Street names
Benzos, bars, xannies, planks, or downers. Pills sold outside a pharmacy are often fake and may contain fentanyl.
Why people use them
To quiet anxiety, stop panic, sleep through the night, or take the edge off after drinking or using other drugs.
Why it is hard to stop
The brain adapts. Over time, anxiety and sleeplessness can come back stronger when the medicine wears off, which makes it feel impossible to go without.
How dependence builds
You did not do anything wrong
Many people who struggle with benzodiazepines followed their doctor’s instructions. Physical dependence can develop in just a few weeks of daily use. That is not a character flaw. It is how these medicines affect the brain.
Benzodiazepine dependence is a health condition, not a personal failure. With the right plan, people taper safely and recover.
The danger of mixing
Benzos with alcohol or opioids can stop breathing
On their own, benzodiazepines are less likely to cause a fatal overdose. Combined with alcohol, opioids, or other sedatives, the risk rises sharply, because each one slows breathing.
Call 911 right away if someone
Stay with them until help arrives. North Carolina has a Good Samaritan law that offers limited protection from some drug charges for people who call for help during an overdose. Do not let fear of trouble stop the call.
If someone is talking about ending their life, call or text 988, any hour of any day.
Build note: naloxone (Narcan) guidance for possible opioid involvement belongs here and is held pending Ben Davis review.
Signs it may be time for help
Some signs worth paying attention to
You do not need to hit bottom to deserve help. If a few of these sound familiar, in yourself or someone you love, it is worth a conversation.
Taking more than prescribed, or taking it more often
Running out early or getting pills from more than one source
Feeling panicky, shaky, or unable to sleep when a dose wears off
Mixing benzos with alcohol or other drugs
Memory gaps, or not remembering conversations
Feeling foggy, slow, or unsteady during the day
Buying pills from someone other than a pharmacy
Trying to cut back and not being able to
You are not alone
Millions of people are working through this
4.6 million
people in the United States misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives, including benzodiazepines, in the past year.
Weeks
of daily use can be enough for physical dependence to develop.
3 in 4
adults who have ever had a drug or alcohol problem say they are in recovery or have recovered.
National figures from SAMHSA’s 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and FDA safety guidance. These are not Renovia Behavioral Health results.
Benzodiazepine dependence often hides in plain sight, among professionals, parents, retirees, and students who started with a prescription. You are not the only one, and you do not have to figure this out alone.
Stopping safely
The safest way off benzos is slowly, with medical support
Stopping benzodiazepines suddenly after regular use can be dangerous. Withdrawal can cause rebound anxiety, insomnia, tremors, and in some cases seizures that can be life-threatening.
Most people stop with a slow, supervised taper, lowering the dose over weeks or months under a medical provider’s care. Some people need medically supervised withdrawal first.
Please talk to a medical provider before you cut back
Renovia Behavioral Health does not offer detox at this time, but we can help you find a provider if you need assistance, and we will be here for treatment alongside or after your taper. Read: If You Need Detox First
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How we help
Learning to handle anxiety and sleep without benzos
Coming off benzodiazepines is only part of recovery. The other part is learning new ways to manage the anxiety, panic, or sleeplessness that led there in the first place.
If needed first
Detox
We can help you find a provider if you need assistance.
Medical emergency: call 911. Crisis: call or text 988.
Renovia Behavioral Health
Day Treatment (PHP)
5 days a week, 5 hours a day
Renovia Behavioral Health
Intensive Outpatient (IOP)
3 days a week, 3 hours a day
Tried before
If treatment did not stick last time
For most people, recovery takes more than one serious try. Tell us what did not work, and we will build a better plan.
How to get started
From first contact to first day
1
Call or text 833-813-HELP
Tell us what is going on. Nothing has to be decided on that first contact.
2
We check the details
We verify your insurance and collect your background so your first day is focused on you.
3
Your first day
Plan on a full day. A clinician completes your assessment, and you get an orientation.
4
Your plan begins
We place you in the group that fits you best, and your team reviews your plan every week.
