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If you struggle to fall asleep each night, Ambien (and its generic formulation, zolpidem) can feel like a miracle drug. But no drug is risk-free, and Ambien is no exception.
Ambien is a highly addictive substance, and the longer you take it, the higher the risk of addiction grows. If you received an Ambien prescription because of insomnia, talk to your doctor about longer-term treatment options so that you don't have to expose yourself to the risks of Ambien addiction.
Unsurprisingly, millions are also addicted.
Ambien addiction can develop like any disease - largely beyond the control of the individual suffering from it. You cannot will yourself to not become dependent on Ambien just because you have a valid medical prescription or don't want to be an addict.
Some of the most common signs of Ambien use include:
Many Ambien addicts have a prescription for the drug, but this won't protect you from the dangers of addiction.
If you're unsure whether you have an addiction, consider how you feel when you're not taking Ambien. If you experience intense withdrawal, painful emotions, or an overwhelming
feeling that you cannot cope without Ambien, it's likely that you're experiencing Ambien addiction.
Don't waste time blaming yourself or hiding your addiction. You need and deserve treatment, and the sooner you get it, the sooner you can move past the pain of your addiction.
Educate yourself about the disease of addiction, and offer your loved one your compassion and support--without doing anything to further enable the addiction.
Many addicts react to the struggle of Ambien abuse with intense feelings of shame, so emotionally blackmailing an addict is unlikely to help. Instead, it may just encourage him or her to use more Ambien to dull the emotional pain.
Instead, educate yourself about the disease of addiction, and offer your loved one your compassion and support--without doing anything, such as paying for pills, which could further enable his or her addiction.
You can't force a loved one into treatment, but by creating an environment where recovery seems like the obvious and best answer, you can increase the odds that your loved one will choose treatment on their own.
An intervention has 2 separate goals:
Each member of the group can share how the addict has affected his or her life, what he or she will do if the addict refuses treatment, and why he or she would like the addict to seek treatment. At some interventions, participants also offer incentives for choosing treatment.
Ideally, this process encourages addicts to pursue treatment. Even when an addict rejects treatment, though, an intervention can help you make healthier decisions that protect you from your loved one's addiction. Don't feel guilty if you are overwhelmed and long for somebody to understand what you are going through.
A loved one's addiction to Ambien can be a profoundly isolating experience. Well-meaning bystanders may not understand the pain of loving an addict, and the addict may subject you to alternating streams of lies, abuse, aggression, and panic. You don't have to cope with the pain of a loved one's addiction alone.
Nar-Anon, which offers support to people who love addicts, can help you:
An Ambien dependency can be quite stubborn. Many treatment options are available to provide recovery from an Ambien addiction.
To maximize your chances of recovery, you need to feel safe, heard, and respected. Spend some time researching programs, reading reviews, and asking plenty of questions till you have a clear vision of what you want and don't want.
No two addicts are alike, and you don't have to treat your addiction like your friend, mother, or cousin treated theirs. The goal is recovery, not conformity, so don't shy away from asserting your needs and desires.
Treatment can be a rocky road, and you may sometimes wonder why you're bothering. Stick with it. Treatment works, and the alternative--continued addiction--can lead you down a dangerous path.
You deserve the happy, healthy life that you can only get by leaving your addiction in the dust. To get the healthy life you deserve, call 1-888-993-3112Who Answers? now to speak to one of our compassionate treatment advisors.
