Are you taking Ambien to sleep at night? Without proper oversight, sleeping pills can quickly turn into an Ambien addiction. Read on to learn the warning signs.
There is nothing that can disturb a potentially productive day more than a night of little or no sleep. Perhaps you are getting sleep in intermittent periods, but it’s poor sleep and you keep waking up.
With up to 30% of American adults suffering from sleep issues, it’s no wonder that these people are turning to Ambien. Sedatives help people with insomnia fall asleep and get more satisfying sleep. Sleep aids are in abundance on the market, but Ambien is at the top of the list.
However, Ambien was never intended for long term use. Doctors recommend using it in six-week cycles. Using the drug past that time frame can have hazardous effects on your psychological and physical well being.
Many home lives and job performances have been negatively affected by Ambien addiction. The trouble: most people don’t realize they are slowly becoming addicted to the drug.
After all, it’s “just a sleeping pill”, right? Wrong. At the end of the day, Ambien is a drug. In 2005 there were 6,000 E.R. visits from sleeping pill overdoses, and just a few years later in 2010 E.R. visits for the same reason were up to 19,000.
Here are 5 signs you may have an addiction to Ambien:
1. You Shoot But Don’t Score
Perhaps you’ve been trying to cut down on your dosage of Ambien for some time. Maybe you recognize that you rely heavily on it and would like to take less on a regular basis.
This is a noble effort. However, weaning yourself off a drug can be very difficult, and most people don’t succeed at doing so. If you find yourself making consistent efforts to cut down on the drug but can’t seem to do it, you may have an Ambien addiction.
If you find that a smaller dose is not only insufficient for you psychologically, but physically as well, then considering asking for an evaluation of your usage.
2. You’re a Hunter
Let’s suppose you’ve received a prescription from your primary doctor for an allotted amount of time with maybe a few refills, or no refills. Maybe you used your prescription appropriately and then your prescription ran out and couldn’t be renewed. Perhaps your doctor doesn’t want to prescribe you another cycle.
If you go meet with other doctors to get fresh prescriptions so your supply won’t run out, you may need to take a hard look at your usage. Doctors prescribe drugs for certain amounts of time for certain people for legitimate medical reasons.
Taking the amount of a drug you use into your own hands is never a good idea. Trusting your doctors is important, and seeking out new prescriptions to feed what you think is a necessity for Ambien most likely leads down the road of addiction.
If you’re always on a hunt for more of the drug, Ambien addiction may already be an issue. The good news: you can recover from it and many people have.
3. You Use Anyway
If you’ve had people tell you they think you might have a problem and you ignore it, you may have an Ambien addiction. A suffering social life is another symptom of addiction.
Perhaps legally you aren’t supposed to have any more, or your bank account is suffering from spending money on Ambien. Are your interpersonal and job relationships suffering because of the continued use?
These are all major symptoms of drug addiction. Though it may be difficult, listening to your peers and loved ones may be a positive thing.
Most people who become addicted to drugs remain in complete denial for as long as they possibly can. They don’t remain in denial because they are necessarily stubborn, but because they truly believe they don’t have a problem.
4. You Say Goodbye to Joy
Maybe you used to love going out for a glass of wine or a night cap with your friends on the weekends. Maybe you loved watching movies on your couch on your weeknights to help you wind down. Perhaps you used to be extremely social and do evening dinner dates regularly.
If you find yourself saying goodbye to all of those favorites in favor of popping a pill and hitting the pillow, it is time to reassess your Ambien usage. By eliminating social interactions and things you normally found joy in so you can use your drug is a major symptom of Ambien addiction.
We aren’t talking about shutting off and enjoying the silence for a few nights a week. We’re talking about no longer finding joy in the things you used to, and instead relying on simply swallowing your pill to get you through.
5. You Feel Euphoric
Perhaps you happened upon Ambien through a friend or roommate but don’t have any issues sleeping. For many who don’t need the assistance of the drug, Ambien doesn’t sedate them. In fact, it makes them feel euphoric.
Many Ambien addicts take them throughout their day and in high dosages. Many claim it helps them handle daily stresses and anxiety without ever feeling sleepy. Some even feel powerful, loving and in charge.
Have you ever found yourself crushing and snorting the drug for a more intense high? It probably means you have an addiction to the drug.
Reactions like this to Ambien can be addicting. If you find yourself repeatedly taking the pill to handle your day to day, consider seeking treatment immediately.
No One Wants To Hear It
No one wants to hear that they might have an Ambien addiction. Those people are usually the people who do have a problem. It is often difficult to admit yourself to treatment or rehab, and it may even be harder to get your loved one to do so.
But with a careful and loving approach, you can help someone suffering from an Ambien addiction. The mental and physical health issues that will follow from continued or overuse of the drug are severe.
There are trained specialists to help you deal with your addiction and improve your quality of life. If you’re willing, there are also self-tests that can help you determine your level (if any) of addiction to a drug.
When you’re ready to assess your situation, learn more, or get some help.
