Codeine, Painkiller and Benzodiazepine Dependence
Codeine addiction almost never begins with a decision to misuse anything. It begins with a prescription, an injury, a bad back, a period of insomnia or a difficult year, and a medicine that worked exactly as it was supposed to. The people who samband us about prescribed medication are usually the least likely to describe themselves as having an addiction, and that is precisely why this dependence tends to run for years before anyone addresses it. At InHarmoni we treat dependence on prescribed medication in a private residential setting near Marbella, with medical supervision throughout. This includes codeine and other opioid painkillers, tramadol, benzodiazepines such as diazepam and alprazolam, and prescribed sleep medication.
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When a prescription has become something else
The line is rarely obvious, which is part of the difficulty.
These are the signs that most often bring people to us:
- Taking more than prescribed, or taking it for longer than intended
- Requesting early repeats, or holding prescriptions from more than one doctor
- Feeling unwell, anxious or shaky when a dose is late
- Keeping the amount you take to yourself, including from family and from your doctor
- Knowing you should stop and finding that attempts to reduce make you feel worse
None of this makes anyone a failure. Physical dependence on these medicines is a predictable pharmacological effect, not a character flaw.
Why this withdrawal needs medical supervision
This matters more here than with most substances. Benzodiazepine withdrawal can be genuinely dangerous if it is done abruptly or without oversight, with a risk of seizures, and it needs a carefully managed reduction rather than a sudden stop. Opioid withdrawal is rarely life threatening but it is physically severe, and it is where unsupported attempts usually collapse.
Our programme is built around that reality, and the core residential stay runs for 28 days with continued reduction afterwards where that is clinically appropriate.
Assessment
A clinical review of everything you take, in what doses and for how long, along with the original reason for the prescription and any other substance use. Nothing is judged and nothing needs to be left out.
Medically supervised reduction or detox
A tapering plan set by clinicians and adjusted as your body responds, with symptoms managed rather than endured.
Therapy, and the original problem
Almost everyone here started on this medication for a reason, whether pain, anxiety or sleeplessness. Removing the medicine without addressing what it was treating is how people return to it. Therapy addresses both.
Eftirmeðferð
A plan for continued treatment at home, including how to work with your own doctor going forward.
Chronic pain and dependence at the same time
Some of our clients have genuine chronic pain and a genuine dependence, and pretending the pain will disappear with the medication would be dishonest.
The work in those cases is to reduce the dependence while building a pain management approach that does not rely on escalating doses. It is slower and more careful, and it is entirely possible.
What we do not treat
We are straightforward about our limits. Dependence on street heroin generally needs longer term treatment than a 28 day residential programme can provide, and we do not present ourselves as the right option for it. When someone contacts us in that situation we assess it individually and, if we are not the right fit, we say so and point towards somewhere that is.
Clinically led
Every programme at InHarmoni is overseen by qualified medical and psychotherapeutic staff. That distinction matters in this region, where a good deal of what is marketed as treatment is not clinically staffed at all. You are welcome to ask us directly what qualifications sit behind your programme, and we will answer plainly.
Frequently asked questions
Can I stop benzodiazepines on my own?
It is not advisable. Abrupt cessation carries a risk of seizures and other serious complications, and a supervised reduction is both safer and considerably more comfortable.
How long does withdrawal take?
It depends on the medication, the dose and how long you have taken it. Opioid withdrawal is usually most intense for around a week. Benzodiazepine reduction is slower by design and often continues in a planned form after you leave.
Will my own doctor be told?
Only with your written consent. We often recommend it, because continuity of care is genuinely useful, but the decision is yours.
What if I also drink?
Then both are treated together. The combination of alcohol and prescribed sedatives is common and it is medically important to manage them at the same time.
Is 28 days long enough?
For most of the medications we treat, yes, with continued reduction and support afterwards where that is clinically appropriate. We will tell you honestly at assessment if we think longer is needed.
Is treatment confidential?
Entirely. Clients are not identified and nothing is shared with an employer, insurer or family member without your written consent.
Related treatment areas
Talk to us before you try to taper alone
Most people in this situation have already tried to cut down by themselves, more than once. A first conversation with us is confidential and costs nothing, and it will give you a realistic picture of what a supervised reduction would involve.
14 dagar
Enough to stabilise the situation, restore sleep and get a clear clinical picture. A start rather than a full course of treatment.
28 dagar
The standard programme. Long enough to get through withdrawal and into therapeutic work, with four months of individual aftercare afterwards.
56 dagar
The right clinical choice where there is more than one diagnosis, or where earlier attempts have not held.
