Location
Our Washington Location
Our inpatient facility is located in Washington, and will serve Washington state. It will provide a safe & therapeutic environment for both our staff and patients.
- Edmonds
7416 212th St SW,
Edmonds, WA 98026
Sleep Aids Addiction: Get the Sleep Aids Abuse Facts You Should Know
Current sleep aids abuse statistics indicate that a growing number of Americans is using these over the counter medications to help themselves fall asleep every single year. The need to sleep is inherent within all of us. However, once you’re depending on a sleep aid to get to sleep every single night, your likelihood of becoming addicted to them increases substantially.
It seems as though it’s a very easy solution to a common problem to take a sleep aid to help yourself fall asleep more quickly. The problem is that chronic sleep aid use has been shown to lead to an addiction in so many people. Maybe you’re concerned that you might have an addiction to sleep aids. It’s possible that you never thought of yourself as a sleep aid addict before, but that was prior to realizing that an addiction to these drugs was possible.
Getting the right sleep aids information can help you tremendously if you’ve been participating in sleep aids abuse. Once you have the sleep aids addiction facts you need, you’ll be able to get a better idea of whether or not you should consider getting help for an addiction to these medications.
Know the Warning Signs: The Short and Long-Term Effects of Sleep Aids
Sleep aids can result in a number of problematic issues, physically and mentally. Of course, the longer you continue to take sleep aids, the higher your chances are of experiencing the side effects of them. In the short-term, if you’re taking sleeping aids, you might experience:
- Chronic fatigue issues
- Short-term memory loss
- Bouts of confusion
- Nausea and vomiting
- A sensation of euphoria
As time progresses, if you continue to take sleep aids, or if you’re using them in higher dosages than you should, you’re very likely to develop some of the long-term effects of them, which can include:
- The onset of amnesia
- Problems with coordination
- Onset of delusions
- Onset of hallucinations
- A dependence on sleep aids daily
Help for Sleep Aid Addicts: Know the Symptoms of Withdrawal to Expect
When stopping the use of most medications, symptoms of withdrawal are to be expected. Stopping the use of sleep aids is no exception to this at all. Withdrawal symptoms can become quite severe, depending on how often you were taking sleep aids, and in what dosage levels. Some common withdrawal symptoms include:
- Intense cravings for sleep aids
- Becoming very irritable or angry
- Bouts of insomnia
- Feelings of anxiety or nervousness
- Onset of delirium
It is even possible to develop convulsions or seizures if sleep aids are stopped abruptly, and these are conditions that require immediate medical attention.
Usually, symptoms of withdrawal are severe enough that people go back to using sleep aids, and this only reinforces their addictions, and can make it even more difficult for them to stop later on.
The Sleep Aid Abuse Definition: What is Sleep Aids Abuse?
Sleep aids abuse should not be confused with sleep aids addiction. The two terms are often used interchangeably when they actually mean two very different things. Sleep aids abuse is the use of sleep aids that goes against the directions on the packaging. Some examples might be:
- Using sleep aids as a way to get high when you don’t have trouble falling asleep
- Using sleep aids for longer than it indicates you should on the box or bottle
- Using sleep aids other than just swallowing a pill or tablet, such as snorting a crushed pill
- Taking more of the sleep aids than you should at one time
- Mixing sleep aids with other medications or with alcohol
If you don’t feel as though you have to use sleep aids, then you probably have not formed an addiction to them. However, it’s important to note that you could form an addiction to them very soon after you begin taking them.
Sleep Aid Addiction Symptoms: What is Sleep Aids Addiction?
There is often a very fine line between sleep aids abuse and sleep aids addiction. Many people form addictions to sleep aids without realizing it’s possible to do so. Maybe you feel as though that might be what happened with you, and you’d like to know if you have any of the more common signs of sleep aids addiction. Some sleep aids addiction signs include:
- Getting into legal trouble because of your dependence upon sleep aids
- Struggling at work or in school because of sleep aids
- Going through withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop taking sleep aids
- Being unable to stop taking sleep aids when you want to
- Experiencing relationship difficulties because of your dependence upon sleep aids
Have you noticed any of these in your life? If you have, it’s very likely that you have an addiction that requires immediate attention and treatment with professionals who can help you recover.
Sleep Aids Addiction Treatment Options in Washington State to Consider
The thought that you might have a sleep aids addiction might be scaring you a bit. You probably didn’t realize it was possible to become addicted to an over the counter drug. Many people choose these drugs for that reason, and they avoid prescription sleeping pills because they don’t want to become addicted to them. Even so, now that you can recognize that you have an addiction, it’s not too late for you to get help.
There are sleep aids addiction treatment programs that specifically target this type of addiction, and Northpoint Recovery is one of them. If you’re addicted to sleep aids, that doesn’t mean you’re sentenced to struggle with this addiction for the rest of your life. With the right support, you can overcome this addiction and heal from it.
Are you ready to learn more about how Northpoint Recovery can help you? Do you want to begin your recovery as soon as possible? If so, please contact us today.
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