Xanax, the brand name for alprazolam, is among the medication used as an anti-anxiety drug. It has gained much popularity after it has been proven to offer speedy symptom relief from the condition. This sedative and hypnotic benzodiazepine (benzo) medication can improve a patient’s disposition within the week it was taken. The best part about it is it does not diminish its effectiveness even when it is taken for months or even years.

While the drug mainly lessens the feeling of anxiety and panic, it can also cause euphoria when taken beyond the prescribed dosage. This leads several individuals to abuse the medication. Most often, people are snorting Xanax by crushing it first believing that doing so gives them a faster, more intense high compared to just swallowing it.

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It has been revealed that abusing Xanax has led to 124,902 emergency room visits in 2010, which is almost double the figure released in 2005. In 1998, benzo-related admissions to substance use disorder treatment only accounted for 1.3% but this rose by 3.2% in 2008. By 2013, there were 50 million Xanax prescriptions written. There were only 38 million prescriptions done seven years before that. Also, the prescription rate has been consistently climbing by 9 percent beginning in 2008.

It appears that snorting Xanax is more common than people may think. Unfortunately, many of those who use it in this manner are young adults or adolescents. There are also some who take this as an alternative to cocaine and heroin as Xanax provides a less costly high when they cannot get ahold of their preferred drug.

Risks of Snorting Xanax

Abusing drugs is already dangerous and even more so when the drug’s method of use is tampered with. Snorting Xanax will result in experiencing ecstatic symptoms faster than taking it orally and the symptoms will not last long so users will want more. They will continuously use the drug to maintain the high. Thus, snorting illegal substances can lead to addiction faster than doing it orally.

Since the drug was not meant to be snorted, it poses a greater danger to the user. This is because crushing and snorting drugs increase the drug’s potency. Other risks of abusing the drug include:

• drowsiness and fatigue
• vertigo and vision problems
• significant accumulation of fatty tissues
• impaired of judgment
• disorientation
• memory gaps
• slurred speech
• confusion
• muscle weakness
• coordination problems

Who is at Risk of Abuse?

Certain types of individuals pose a greater risk of abusing this drug. They include those:

• Suffering from chronic pain
• Recovering from alcohol addiction
• With a history of substance use disorder problems
• With psychological issues like depression, anxiety, and insomnia

Withdrawal Signs and Symptoms

Individuals who have prolonged use of Xanax will become dependent on it. A sudden discontinuation of taking the drug can lead to several side effects like nausea, headache, agitation, weight loss, vomiting, anxiety, depression, pain in the hands and feet, and a rapid heart rate. Those taking large doses of Xanax for a considerable length of time will experience life-threatening seizures when withdrawing from it. Other dangerous effects of Xanax withdrawal are the following:

• Grand mal seizures, where a person lose consciousness or experience violent muscle contractions
• Severe hyperthermia
• Psychosis

Debunking Misconceptions About Snorting Xanax

Snorting Xanax is believed to give a faster, more intense high than swallowing the pill but this is not true. After snorting benzos like Xanax, it does not go straight to the brain through the nasal mucosa. In this case, the substance goes through the bloodstream at almost the same rate as when taken orally.

This may be a popular way of using the drug but it poses damage to the nasal cavity and throat without actually attaining the intensity and ecstasy people are looking for.

Help is Available

Addiction to Xanax is very dangerous. People who have become dependent on it can experience severe side effects when they stop using the drug on their own. Withdrawal and detoxification should be done under medical supervision. Otherwise, possible fatal effects could happen.

While recovery from Xanax addiction is possible, going through it safely and effectively necessitates a treatment center that has the specialization to teat benzo addiction. Under the watch of qualified professionals, the dangerous side effects of withdrawal can be avoided.

Treatment Programs

Considering what is at stake when withdrawing from Xanax, inpatient treatment is needed for those who have abused it for too long and at a higher dosage. This means an individual will have to stay at the rehab facility for a period of time. Being in the center might avert the serious and dangerous outcomes of withdrawal. Also, previous experiences have shown that quitting in an outpatient setting has yielded unsuccessful results.

But for those who are not in too deep with the addiction and experience only mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms, outpatient treatment is possible. This is less costly and will not hamper a person’s personal and professional engagements. They continue to live as they normally do but they need to be at the facility at a specific time. This is a convenient mechanism as it offers flexibility to work around the way of their schedule. Nevertheless, the process still works.

The treatment usually begins with lessening the dosage to gradually lead them off the drug. Behavioral therapies follow. This process is given emphasis to assist the former users to fight against relapse. There will be counseling for individuals and groups as well as peer discussions.

Getting back on their feet after going through Xanax abuse can be unpleasant so they will seek comfort and privacy in dealing with their road to recovery. There are also others who wish for the same privacy but would want to continue with their usual course of business. This is where specialized treatment facilities come in.

Luxury or executive programs provide both treatment and comfort. Residents in these facilities are provided with all the amenities they will ever need including a gym, spa services, pool, and even access to the Internet. They have room accommodations that offer only the best linens and sumptuous meals specially prepared by top-rated chefs. These programs focus on providing serenity and opulence while the individuals are making their way through recovery.

As expected, they cost more than the traditional treatment centers considering all their offering. The quality of treatment, however, is the same in both executive and traditional programs. The difference is mainly in giving access to comfort, style, and therapeutic recreational activities.

Find the Program that Suits You

Xanax addiction is something you or your loved one can overcome. Regain your life back with the help of the right treatment program and fervent support of the people who you care about. Call us today so we can help you find the best program that suits you.