I have first hand experience of being addicted to benzos and drinking at the same time. I could have died. This was the Heath Ledger era, so I knew what could happen, but benzo addiction is so horrible that I didn’t care. I would go to bed some nights not knowing if I’d wake up. Fuck it. At least I could sleep.

Would that be user error, or would it be the doctor’s fault for not telling me how addictive the benzos were? I was mentally ill. He told me to take them every day. I didn’t take them excessively. I took them as prescribed. It was only after the addiction got out of control that I started drinking again. Mentally ill people make bad decisions. The doctor made no effort to ensure I was safe. He kept upping my dose.

It’s worth watching the documentary “As Prescribed”[0], which is about benzo addiction. A lot of people go through what I went through. Some don’t survive. We blame drug dealers for ODs but not psychiatrists. Why?

[0] https://youtu.be/bDPPdWsN0mk?si=ckAiPvawFVAB4xEE

Also the opioid epidemic actually did make benzos much harder to get. Atleast where I live, your primary doctor is very unlikely to prescribe them and instead will refer you to a psychiatrist. The people I know who were on Ambien or Atvian have been cut off.

I think the ADHD drugs are probably next. My conspiracy theory is too much of the professional class (including doctors) is using them regularly, so it's much hard to crack down on.