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My Husband is Addicted to Xanax

QUESTION: My husband has come clean and confessed he is addicted to Xanax.  He also smokes marijuana for his nerves.  He is motivated to stop.  He says he can do it by going to a detox center. Should he also get treatment?

This is good news in that your husband recognizes he is addicted and is motivated to go into a detox center.  Let me start by explaining the difference between detox and treatment.

DETOX is the first step in recovery from any addictive disorder.  Detoxification is the process of eliminating the substance from the body. Every category of substance has its own timeframe for elimination as well as its own symptoms and risks.  Alcohol and anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax, Ativan, or Klonapin ((known as benzodiazepines) are potentially life threatening withdrawal because of the risk of seizures.  Opioids are the class of medications prescribed for pain relief, and this class also includes heroin.  Withdrawal from opiates, although not life threatening, is also considered a medical withdrawal process because the individual will become very sick during the elimination process which can last around 10 days.  Fortunately, addiction medicine has made great advances and there are medications and protocols that can ensure a safe and humane detox.

Because of risks involved in withdrawal from Xanax your husband most certainly would benefit from going to either an in-patient or outpatient facility with a medical staff that will monitor his withdrawal and prescribe medications to assist with the symptoms that he will likely experience.  In a medical detox setting, either inpatient or if appropriate, outpatient, he will be carefully and gradually tapered from Xanax.  The symptoms that he may experience during withdrawal include restlessness, insomnia, tremors, and sweating.  He may have difficulty with cognition, if left unmanaged, these symptoms using hallucinations and seizures.  The medical team can mitigate these symptoms using medications considered safe to prescribe to those suffering from addictive disorders.  The course of withdrawal from Xanax is somewhat unpredictable.  Symptoms can last for weeks or months.  The importance of choosing a setting with a medical staff which includes a doctor and nurses cannot be overstated.

TREATMENT Differs from detox but ideally will begin during the detox period.  Treatment refers to the mental, behavioral, and emotional aspects underlying the physical use of substances.  By and large, treatment involves group and individual counseling.  The goal of treatment is to help

the addicted person move from minimization and denial to a posture of responsibility and accountability.  Recognition of feelings and appropriate expression of strong emotions is encouraged in a safe nonjudgmental space.  Group counseling is especially helpful to form meaningful bonds and create peer support.  Treatment teaches new coping and communication skills.  Relapse preventions strategies will be developed.  The patient will be encouraged to attend community support groups such Alcoholics Anonymous.  The family will be introduced to Alanon, a 12 step program to help family members learn new behaviors and coping skills.  The goal is to equip the patient and family with a new set of tools that will enhance intimacy, health, and happiness without the use of substances. 

Please share with you husband that you are proud of his decision to change.  This is a window of opportunity.  If he is willing to go to detox he may be willing to go to treatment especially if he understands the fact that detox alone is seldomly successful.  Detox coupled with comprehensive treatment is a winning formula.

Written by Deb Hill

Debbie Hill, Hill Recovery, earned her nursing degree from Loma Linda University in 1975. She specialized in psychiatric nursing and worked in psychiatric and substance abuse programs, offering medical detox to those suffering from withdrawal.

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