I dont want to encourage any of you guys to use any drugs but ive seen alot of people of many different ages who seem to think benzodiazepines like xanax, clonopin, and ativan are a safer, less addictive option than opioids.
First of all, benzos are very addictive. Probably just as addictive as opioids. Dont think you can be a weekend warrior and pop zannies at parties and then feel fine again monday morning. If you are naturally very anxious, benzos will give you a feeling of relief but once that feeling wears off you will feel a rebound affect and be very anxious, possibly for quite some time.
the first time i tried xanax i didnt even feel anything because i already had 0 anxiety before taking it. Benzos can only reduce anxiety to zero. If you are already at 0 anxiety then its pointless to ever try benzos. They wont lift you into euphoria like opioids. They can only reduce anxiety. The following day after the first time i tried this bar of xanax i was overcome with anxiety and nervousness. Xanax had basically given me no pleasure the night before, but it still came to collect the next morning and i felt horrible. So for me, compared to opioids, benzos were pure garbage.
If you develop a full blown addiction to benzos you are looking at the possibility of a withdrawal of massive proportions. Benzo withdrawal can actually kill you if you go cold turkey and start having seizures. Its no joke. Benzo withdrawal is awful. Alot of my friends say benzo withdrawal is worse than opioid withdrawal and in alot of ways i agree that it is.
Anyways, im not trying to say “do opioids instead of benzos”, because i dont want to encourage the use of opioids.
all i want to say is to those who think benzos are kind of like a healthier, safer, more socially acceptable alternative to the big scary opioids like heroin and fentanyl, you are wrong.
benzos suck just as bad as opioids or worse, and in my experience they dont even give you a worthwhile euphoria to justify the abject misery that waits for those who get dependent on them.
sparknotes-
with opioids, you play, then you pay
with benzos, you dont play, but then you still have to pay