Ativan Street Names and What Lies Behind Them

Ativan is a drug which is used to calm panic attacks, as well as to treat certain other disorders relating to anxiety. It is part of a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines, which also includes Xanax and Valium. Because these drugs produce a calming effect, which is accompanied by a feeling of euphoria, they have the potential to be abused. As would be expected of a drug with such properties, Ativan is often used illicitly. To avoid openly advertising the fact that a person is abusing Ativan, they may frequently resort to using street names for the drug.

Ativan Street Names

One of the simplest street names for Ativan is Benzos. This is simply an abbreviation of "Benzodiazepines", and so is not usually used by people who are trying to hide the reality of what they are using. Valo is similar, being an abbreviation for the similar drug Valium. Rather more vague is the term Downers, which has also been applied to a number of other drugs, both legal and illicit. This reflects the fact that Ativan brings a person down from feelings of panic and excitement, instead producing a feeling of calmness and peace. Nerve Pills is a related street name that is even more straightforward, since Ativan is known to have a soothing effect on the nerves.

Another category of Ativan street names is rather more obscure, and these names may frequently be employed by people who are trying to cover up what they are taking. Names in this class include Roofies and Roches, neither of which could easily be deciphered by an outsider who was not familiar with the culture of drug-taking that surrounds Ativan and similar substances. Even more short and to the point is R2, which, to those not in the know, could mean absolutely anything.

Finally, there is a selection of names which are slightly humorous and which gently hint at the fact that Ativan used in this way is not to be recommended, and is not even particularly safe. Tranks, short for tranquilizers, is a good example of this type of street name, while Goofballs and Stupefy suggest that an user may become so calm and peaceful as to be essentially vacant and stupid. Finally, the name Heavenly Blues gives a nod both to the blue color of Ativan tablets and to the calmness of a clear sky, suggesting a link between taking the drug and happiness.

Problems Associated with Ativan

Although Ativan is a highly effective drug, it is well known that when taken in large doses it can quickly cause addiction in some people. Part of this is because the body can develop a tolerance for the drug remarkably fast, with addiction taking hold within just a matter of weeks after a person starts to take Ativan for the first time. For this reason, patients are generally recommended to take it for no more than a month, and in some cases for as short a time as two weeks. Not everyone is affected in the same way, but there are certain factors which change the level of risk that exists in any one person.

A particular concern with Ativan is that it can produce very intense withdrawal symptoms. These can affect almost anyone, even if they are usually not particularly susceptible to such things, because the drug acts directly on the brain and conditions it to expect that Ativan will be there. When it is not, symptoms can quickly occur - even if the drug has been taken for little more than a week beforehand. Many symptoms of withdrawal from Ativan are psychological, such as depression and anxiety, but explicitly physical effects such as headaches are also fairly common. If you experience any of these, get help from your doctor.

Getting Help with Ativan Addiction

It is possible to break an addiction to Ativan, but this cannot be achieved by even the strongest people on their own. Instead, the best way forward is to seek treatment from a qualified medical professional. This will not only address the immediate causes of the dependency that you have built up, but it will also allow you to gain an appreciation of the reasons why it affected you in the first place.

It is important to realize that this is one of the hardest drug dependencies to break, so you should be prepared for it to take a considerable length of time before you are completely clean. Rehabilitation programs can help with both the medium-term and long-term effects of addiction.