topic How do you know if you're addicted? in Treatments, health professionals and therapies

How do you know if you're addicted?

BluWren13 — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 13:13:47 GMT

For the past four months I've being having trouble getting sleeping and staying asleep. I was given a sleeping tablet to help me (non addictive), but in order to not build up a tolerance to it I also started to take an anti-anxiety (a benzo). So now I take one sleeping a night for two nights, the one benzo for two nights,and so on.

My problem is it's been four months of the alternating and I don't want to get addicted to the benzo. How would I know if I were addicted? Any advice?

How do you know if you're addicted?

white knight — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 15:10:42 GMT

Hi Bluewren13, welcome

This question is really one you should ask a GP. We cant give such advice on forums as we all suffer some mental issues of one kind or another.

Tony WK

How do you know if you're addicted?

geoff — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 18:28:21 GMT

dear BluWren, welcome to the site, and the question you are asking would often go through anybody's mind, and what Tony has said, your GP would be the one to ask, however if I change this addiction to alcohol and then need to drink it to make ourselves feel relaxed or to self-medicate for our depression, then it's a need we have to have then being addicted to it.

However I have to say that I look at your comment on a different level to Tony (which hardly happens, sorry Tony), but if you plan the times when you take Benzo and then a sleeping tablet for two nights on and off and been doing it for 4 months, then you are actually addicted to this routine.

If you stopped taking either one of these and only took one of them every second night, would you feel anxious and if you are then you cou

How do you know if you're addicted?

geoff — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 19:03:00 GMT

dear BluWren, don't know what happened here , however, would you feel anxious and if you are then you could be addicted.

If you tell an alcoholic not to drink every second night, then they will become agitated, sweaty, moody and probably not a person to be with, because they are addicted to alcohol.

Other people can get addicted to taking panadol which is not so much an addictive drug per se, but people take them even though they don't have any headache so maybe it's an obsessive thought that you need to have them, probably the same as what you are encountering.

I say this because you are taking sleeping tablets and whether they are addictive or non addictive isn't so much the issue here because you still need to take them, so it's a habit which you need to have.

So to answer your question it's a habit which you are finding difficult to control, so perhaps it's a discussion you need to have with your doctor. Geoff.

How do you know if you're addicted?

Airies — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 23:44:19 GMT

Dont know whether you are addicted. See you GP about bring weaned off. Remember meds we're preceibef for reason but if any dude effects see Dr.

my evening meds have increased. Spent the last 4 dais in bed and slept for 20 hours. So my bike ride is out. I think I've been taking a few extras.Bee,n stumbling a bit and seeing rainbows and dark shapes. Backing eight off my pros yours could be a simple wean off a day of a change()