GHB ADDICTION / WITHDRAWAL IS SERIOUS BUSINESS

J's Story......

“J” wanted everyone to see just how serious GHB addiction / withdrawal can be. He toyed with detoxing for over a year and ended up in a crisis that finally brought him to detox. Unlike many drugs that can detox in just a few days, GHB withdrawal lasts a full 10-14 days, with potential ongoing issues (that usually subside with time, but may require medication at least temporarily for depression, anxiety, etc.). Some will end up in detox for about two weeks and then two or more weeks of rehab before being ready for release.

His wife was completely unaware of what was happening to him and, in fact, en route to the hospital, he gave her a scribbled name and number---from the Project GHB Addiction Helpline---and told her to “call this number and Trinka can tell you what is happening to me.”

As we spoke, she was packing up personal shaving items to take to him……..including the eye and nose drop containers he always carried with him. This is a common mistake family and even treatment facilities make---not recognizing that GHB is typically transported in seemingly normal containers, easily missed. Thus detox often doesn’t happen at all! Treatment centers may report having had a GHB case and no serious withdrawal symptoms at all; very likely the person never stopped taking GHB but had it right under their noses. Or, going home from detox, the patient runs across left over bottles of GHB in their personal belongings and immediately relapse only to wonder why they made such a mistake. Any potential container of GHB must be destroyed; temptation has to be eliminated as much as possible.

Recently a hospital told a GHB addict that GHB is gone from the system in only four hours (gone from blood in about four hours and from urine in about 12 and indeed the symptoms of a single dose are gone in about four hours). Unfortunately, this does NOT apply to withdrawal for an addict. They had no idea how to treat GHB addiction/withdrawal. In another recent case (and a scenario repeated over and over worldwide), a GHB addict was “treated” for three days and released, only to be hallucinating within a short time later. Days four-six can often be the most serious in terms of hallucinations, making the person a potential danger to themselves or others.

It is also important to understand that depression in the aftermath of GHB addiction can be quite serious, even leading to suicides in some cases.

Our GHB Addiction/Withdrawal Fact Sheet can be downloaded here……….and shared with any treatment facility or family member. We have more detailed info available for addicts and family members and friends or doctors and can link treatment facilities to doctors with expertise in GHB withdrawal. Our GHB Addiction Message Board is here for addicts to help themselves and each other through the maze of recovery.