TYPES OF BENZODIAZEPINES ABUSED BY CHEMICALLY DEPENDENT INPATIENTS

Records of in patients (N = 1,483) over a three-year period at an addi ction treatment center were evaluated for the presence of benzodiazepi ne (BZ) dependence (N = 136). The preferred BZ for 43% of the subjects was diazepam, and alprazolam for 14% of subjects. Chlordiazepoxide, l orazepam, and clorazepate were each the preferred BZ for 4% of patient s. Cocaine and opioid abusers were six times more likely to abuse diaz epam than any other BZ. Alprazolam patients required a significantly l onger period of detoxification than diazepam patients. Four percent of BZ-dependent patients (N = 6) abused BZs only and had no other substa nce abuse history.