What Are the Differences Between Benzos and Opiates?
Two of the most commonly abused drugs are benzodiazepines (nicknamed “benzos”) and opiates. Addiction rates for both classes of drugs are on the rise. Notably, more than a quarter of opioid overdoses involve benzos as well. Users of both drugs overlap significantly, and drug addiction treatment programs are finding they are increasingly treating dual addictions. […]
COVID-19 “Long-Haulers” Receiving Potentially Addictive Prescriptions
We’ve written about the collision of the COVID-19 and opioid epidemics. Now, there is a new intersection between the two. Long-Haulers Receiving Prescriptions at Higher Rates More than three million people who have had COVID-19 are considered “long-haulers,”[1] meaning their symptoms linger for weeks or months after first becoming infected. In order to treat these […]
Star-Studded Addictions: Sia
TW: Talk of suicide The night musician Sia wrote the song “Breathe Me”—a 2004 hit that was on the season finale of the TV show Six Feet Under—she tried to kill herself by taking 22 Valium with a bottle of vodka. Six years later in 2010, she again planned to kill herself. She had […]
The Dangers of the Growing Benzo Shortage
The benzo shortage is nothing new. Popular benzodiazepines have seen an increase in demand but a shortage in supply for the last three years. So, why is there concern over the current shortage? The answer: COVID-19. The pandemic’s spike in anxiety and panic disorders has also increased the demand for benzos from pharmaceutical companies who […]