The pills that are as hard to kick as heroin

ONE in four older people who are prescribed benzodiazepines — a sedative group including Valium (diazepam) — become addicted, according to new research.

This is most worrying and chimes with what I witnessed when I worked in drug clinics and saw people from all walks of life get hooked on these pills.

Many organisations — such as the National Treatment Agency For Substance Misuse, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Department of Health — rightly warn of the dangers. Without doubt, these drugs cause untold misery.

I have long been an outspoken critic of them and those who prescribe them. True, they can be useful, but only in the very short term — and that means no more than a week. Too often, though, both doctors and patients want a quick fix. Thus they are dispensed on repeat prescription.

These drugs are known euphemistically as ‘mother’s little helpers’. But my experience tells me they can be so addictive that they can be far harder to wean off than heroin. It breaks my heart to think of desperate people, suffering anxiety or insomnia, going in good faith to their doctor and being prescribed a medicine that, in the long term, can make their symptoms worse.

The safer, more reliable, way of dealing with anxiety and sleep problems is psychotherapy. Yes, it is costly and time-consuming. But a little extra money and the use of more expertise can save a lot of pain and heartache later on.