Recreational use of Xanax is growing amongst young people in Australia – here's why
The concerning trend
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Experts say there’s been a rise in young people taking Xanax recreationally in Australia. The drug is usually prescribed to treat anxiety and sleep disorders – so why are more people taking it?
After multiple multimillion-dollar seizures of the drug alprazolam – known by its brand name Xanax – in Australia last year, it’s clear that there’s growing demand for the substance. But concerningly, experts say more young people are seeking out the anti-anxiety medication.
Founder of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) Paul Dillon told the ABC he’s noticed more young people using the drug recreationally in the last few years.
Countries including the UK and US already have a Xanax problem, with the BBC reporting children as young as 11 were being treated for abusing the drug back in 2018, and researchers in America highlighting the sevenfold increase in deaths attributed to overdosing on benzodiazepine class drugs like Xanax in the last two decades.
What is Xanax?
Xanax is a depressant drug typically used to treat anxiety, panic disorders and sleep disorders.
The medication helps to curb panic attacks by strengthening the effect of GABA neurotransmitters, which according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America play ‘a role in sleep, feeling calm, muscle relaxation, and reduction in brain activity’.
Dr Hester Wilson from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) told the ABC people will use Xanax “because they get this lovely, warm, kind of relaxed, sedated feeling quite quickly."
But these sensations only last for a few hours, so some users increase their doses or take the drug more often.
Benzodiazepines like Xanax are only prescribed in Australia for short-term treatment as they’re highly addictive. American Addiction Centers notes Xanax in particular “is considered one of the most addictive benzodiazepine medications on the market today”.
As a result, Wilson said "We're seeing a group of people, and this is young people … who have developed a Xanax dependence, which means they just have to keep taking it, they can't stop taking it”.
Why more young people are using Xanax recreationally
To feel drunk faster
Dillon said a teenage student asked him about the “dangers of taking Xanax when you're drinking” after noting they had “a couple of friends who have really got into taking Xanax with alcohol, they say it gets them drunk faster but they just end up really messy”.
Biophysicist Michael DeLay told Vice that because both alcohol and Xanax "affect the GABA receptor, each is quite capable in their own right of restraining stressful negative emotions”.
He also noted that for some, the combination “can be an overwhelming feeling of joy and relaxation”.
But mixing Xanax with other depressant drugs significantly increases the risk of overdose and adverse effects.
The Penington Institute works on drug policy and public education. Their CEO John Ryan says the substance “depresses your respiratory system and basically you end up in trouble because you don't breathe enough so you don't get enough oxygen to your brain."
Dillon said he’s had several young people “who've talked about their friends having seizures as a result of this”.
Self-medicating for anxiety
As per Children’s Health Queensland, ‘one in fourteen children and young people aged 4 to 17 in Australia experience an anxiety disorder.’ There are also still long waitlists for appointments with many mental health professionals around the country.
Some young people are self-medicating with Xanax to try to treat their anxiety and panic disorders themselves.
Dr Hester Wilson from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) urged them to think about speaking to a GP, as “there are really good treatments that can help”.
To treat comedowns from other drugs
Some people believe the sedation and calming effects of Xanax can counteract hangovers or comedowns from other drugs.
As a result, a number of twenty-somethings take the benzodiazepine before they go to bed after a night out, or when they wake up the next morning.
It's unclear whether the drug does help treat the symptoms of a night out, but it is illegal unprescribed, addictive and potentially lethal, so a large bottle of water, coffee and rest is probably a better treatment option.
And for those who are struggling with a Xanax addiction, Ryan says withdrawing should be done under medical supervision as “There's very significant medication complication risks with rapidly reducing the dose”, with symptoms including seizures, nausea, vomiting and anxiety.
Originally published as Recreational use of Xanax is growing amongst young people in Australia – here's why