Ambien Addiction Treatment

Ambien is the brand name for the drug zolpidem, a prescription medication used as a short-term remedy for insomnia.

If used for only a few weeks, Ambien can be safe and effective. However, Ambien can be highly addictive if used for an extended period of time, or if taken in larger-than-prescribed amounts.

When it is overused, Ambien’s effectiveness as a sleep remedy declines, which is an indicator of growing tolerance and a warning sign that chemical dependency may be imminent.

Some Ambien users take the drug recreationally, based on its ability to produce euphoria and a sense of deep, pleasant relaxation. The misuse of pharmaceutical medications often leads to addiction, and people who abuse Ambien in this manner are undoubtedly playing with fire.

Ambien Addiction Facts and Statistics

Ambien is the most commonly prescribed sleeping medication in the United States, and its use has grown dramatically.

• According to a 2018 study by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 741,000 Americans age 12 or older abused zolpidem, specifically, in 2018
• A 2013 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study revealed that four percent of American adults aged 20 and over had taken a prescription sleep medication in the past month.

Thankfully, most people who receive prescriptions for sleeping medications will use them responsibly, and illicit use of Ambien is still not that widespread:

• Only about one out of every 1,000 adults are addicted to sedatives like Ambien. This translates to about 300,000 Americans aged 12 and over who suffer from sedative dependency.
• Out of all people who misuse sedatives like Ambien, somewhere between four and five percent will eventually develop drug dependency.

Our residential Ambien addiction treatment center offers real hope to men and women struggling to overcome their substance abuse issues. Many people who develop addictions to prescription drugs also have co-occurring mental and behavioral health disorders. Our comprehensive treatment plans are effective against these complicating factors.

Our compassionate addiction treatment professionals provide the very best in psychiatric care services. If you choose our luxury Ambien rehab center, you can expect:

• Medically-supervised detox
• Regular individual therapy sessions
• Group therapy
• Family therapy
• Educational programs
• Holistic mind-body healing practices (meditation, yoga, biofeedback, acupuncture, etc.)
• Experiential therapies
• Intensive workshops
• Fitness, recreation, and wellness programs
• Stress management techniques and instruction
• Relapse prevention training

Relapse prevention is a serious concern for people who’ve encountered difficulties with Ambien abuse. Stressful life circumstances, troublesome relationships, and emotional issues can leave you vulnerable to relapse after you leave treatment and enter aftercare. To keep you moving along the path to a sustainable recovery, our recovery specialists will help you identify relapse triggers. We will also help you uncover and confront any underlying factors that may have played a role in your substance abuse. Co-occurring mental health disorders put your sobriety at risk if they remain untreated.

Ambien addiction treatment at Alta Mira is intensive, comprehensive, and proactive. When you put yourself in our care, we’ll develop an integrated plan that gives you an excellent opportunity to achieve sustainable recovery.

When Ambien abuse is in its earliest stages, symptoms will likely include a return of insomnia that motivated the drug use in the first place. The person will demonstrate other signs associated with the overuse of Ambien, including:

• Persistent drowsiness
• Mental confusion
• Memory problems
• Slowed reaction and thinking times
• Unsteadiness when walking
• Mood swings
• Shakiness
• Stomach pain
• Diarrhea
• Heartburn
• Blurred vision
• Muscle weakness
• Low pulse rate
• Slowed breathing

Ambien addiction signs will develop if the use of the drug continues to escalate, and that will be true for those taking the drug recreationally as well as those who started out with a legitimate prescription. Cravings will be experienced if the individual tries to stop using Ambien, derailing even the sincerest efforts to quit.

In addition to continuing physical symptoms of overuse, some of the strongest behavioral indicators of a burgeoning Ambien addiction include:

• Ever-growing consumption of the drug, as the body’s tolerance for it continues to increase
• Permanent loss of ability to sleep without the drug, and in higher doses than originally prescribed
• Mixing Ambien with alcohol to increase its sedating effects
• Doctor shopping in search of new prescriptions
• Borrowing or stealing drugs from friends or family members, or searching for additional supplies on the black market
• Taking the drug earlier in the day, with no intention of sleeping
• Neglect of job, family, or personal responsibilities related to Ambien consumption and/or the search for more of the drug
• Falling asleep randomly, repeatedly, and in inappropriate locations
• Encounters with the law, for driving under the influence or other infractions
• Risky, impulsive, dangerous behavior that seems out of context given the individual’s normal personality
• Isolation from family and friends; secretiveness
• Lying about drug use
• Blackouts, amnesia, or gaps in memory
• Sleepwalking

The latter is one of the more unique and frightening Ambien addiction signs.

People under the influence of Ambien sometimes enter an altered state halfway between sleeping and waking. They may be up and around performing a host of normal, everyday duties, such as driving, cleaning the house, preparing food, or walking to the store, or even holding conversations with friends, family members, or strangers. Other times, they may do or say strange or unexpected things. But they will not be fully awake while doing any of this and will have no memory of what they did or said later on.

Ambien addiction is a powerful form of drug dependency, and the control it asserts over sufferers’ lives can be extreme.

Ambien addiction is a stealth disorder that catches people unaware and unprepared, and anyone who abuses the drug could conceivably be at risk.

However, sedative addiction can often be predicted by the presence of certain established risk factors, such as:

• Family history. Shared genetic factors plus environmental influences explain why drug dependency and the misuse of prescription drugs often run in families.
• Self-medicating behavior. People who use Ambien without a prescription, or in larger quantities than recommended, for sleep disorders, are at significant risk for addiction.
• Chronic insomnia. The longer and more severe insomnia, the more likely it will lead to sleeping pill abuse.
• Alcoholism and other types of drug dependency. Recreational misuse of Ambien is more common among those who have a history of drug or alcohol abuse.
• Extended use of the drug. Ambien is generally effective for two to six weeks, but if consumption continues beyond that point the risk for addiction rises rapidly.

We believe individuals are best able to focus on their recovery when immersed in a secure, serene, healing setting. That’s why we provide comfortable surroundings while maintaining the most advanced and sophisticated Ambien rehab program in Northern California. Clients can expect compassionate care from our best-in-class Ambien addiction specialists.

Seeking a helping hand to guide you through these difficult times is not an easy decision. Our caring and experienced team at Alta Mira can help guide you through the next steps toward achieving lasting recovery.

Don’t let Ambien destroy your life. To begin your life-changing transformation, contact us today.