DETOXIFICATION - THE USE OF BENZODIAZEPINES

The use of benzodiazepines in the management of alcohol withdrawal in chemically dependent alcoholics is reviewed. Benzodiazepines are safer than earlier sedative drugs used for this purpose, such as barbiturat es, chloral hydrate and paraldehyde. Differences in efficacy between i ndividual benzodiazepines are slight, but benefits and disadvantages o f longer acting (diazepam and chlordiazepoxide) drugs and shorter acti ng (lorazepam and oxazepam) are compared. Long-term outcome is comment ed on.