Benzo addiction, detox, and agoraphobia?

About a year ago I had agoraphobia so bad I could barely sit in the car for five minutes. I ended up addicted to Xanax and was abusing it. Now long story short I am abusing Klonopin and addicted to that. I am planning on going to the hospital to detox as soon as I run out. Does anyone out there with agoraphobia manage WITHOUT benzos? I know I don't have much of a choice now that I am an "addict" but I don't know how I am going to not be afraid of everything without them... Any insight?

from what ive heard, klonopin detox is extremely expensive and somewhat of a specialty- at least here in the states with no insurance, i'm not sure how it is for you. I was told there is only one clinic in my city that will do it for around $20k but that was a few years ago.

ive been chemically addicted to it for at least 3 years and have tried many times to ween myself off. ive gotten down to 0-1mg/day. i still have days where ill take up to 4, but those are major panic days and not so often

I imagine if you're ready to go to detox you're pretty bad off (ive been there), but if you're looking for alternatives before you go right to detox, some things that have worked for me:

1. Valarian Root- its a natural herbal vitamin that helps take the edge off and helps sleeping, too
2. acupuncture- it may take a few treatments but it's worked wonders for me.
3. cannibus- some people respond well, for others, it can make it worse. to each their own.
4. do you drink? im sure you've heard it before but if you do, try and cut it out of your diet while you try to ween off- it makes it a lot easier.

so, if you think you can start tapering down safely, maybe some of those things could help.

My doctor is cutting me cold turkey. So I will have to go to the hospital to get more. They are going to have to admit me through their psych unit because I have been going on self destructive binges where I have even broken bones. I have gotten about 6 x rays in the last two weeks, luckily only one was broken. I have had heard this is a side effect of Klonopin abuse; rages. And once I get started doing this, I can't stop. I will beat the living hell out of myself and destroy property.

Klonopin (clonazepam) can be very, very addictive and it is hard to get off correctly. Going cold turkey can lead to some severe withdrawal symptoms. I have a feeling your doctor should never have given you klonopin after you abused xanax, its like taking a whiskey away from an alcoholic only to give them gin instead. Here's a great site with tons of stories and info about the right way to detox off of benzos.
http://www.non-benzodiazepines.org.uk/clonazepam.html

I am being admitted to the psych unit under my doctors care tomorrow. I am not sure what they are going to do. I keep having bursts of rage where I have even broken bones. And I tend to think it has something to do with the addiction. I don't feel in control of my reactions towards myself. And trust me I am not happy with the doctor. He prescribed it for everyday usage and shouldn't have.

Addiction: You force a substance in yourself. The body goes, " Wow, we have all these new chemicals. What do we do?" The body does what it's supposed to do. Find balance.

If you add your chemicals in the body to the chemicals that are already there, the body will try to equal it's self out. This means certain chemicals are either increased or decreased in the body. If you force a chemical in the body, the body has no choice but to except it to provide normalcy. Chemical change.

NOw, you want to start getting ready to get rid of that chemical... (drugs and alscohol.") You can stop the intake, but the body ios so used to it, it has a crisis. It has to change things around to the chemical makeup the body had before drugs and alcohol.

You are now in detox. While taking a certain drug to self medicate yourself for depression and anxiety, Stopping them is not a mental desease. It's a physical desease. And, just as bad as any other.

A good support system would be nice. Go to AA... even though this seems a drug eddiction I would like to elaborate on Psych hospitals and what they do? What they really are doing and how professional and medical it is now. And, detox... what to do when I went through it and the Arghoraphobia... anxiety which I know well.

But, I seemed to have been put on hold. If I say anything that can enfluence you in anyway, it's not part of the site rules. It's best to talk to the moderators about what to actually do for you, since they have cut me off as recommending anything to help you. It's like, I can tell you what is wrong, sympethize that you not alone with this all. But, heart felt suggests do nothing...not part of the site rules... or at, least, it seems that way now.

Sorry. You'll have to talk to a site head or someother person on site to get some heart felt answers...