mike

by mike
(ireland)

I've had an addiction to ativan/lorazepam and other treatments. I've not drank alcohol ever but is it possible having abused ativan heavily in the past that im automatically addicted to alcohol and other mood altering substances?

Hi, thanks for writing in
I can't say for sure whether you are automatically addicted to every substance. Some people believe that an addict isn't an addict because of the substances - they're an addict because of how they feel and behave etc. If you believe this then it would follow that yes you might have trouble with all mood altering substances.

Other people will definitely disagree with this. I'm sure there are many people who can use certain substances and not others. I'm not one of them. I know that I can't use any mood altering substance, it doesn't matter what it is. This is just my experience though and everyone is different.

It is believed that drugs like Ativan and alcohol both trigger the same reward pathways in the brain. This can mean that drinking alcohol will trigger cravings for Ativan and could lead someone back to using Ativan and/or other substances.

Again, this isn't always the case. There's really no way for me or anyone else to say how you will react to certain substances. I would just recommend being careful and aware if you decide to use any substances.

I hope this helps

Rae