Clinically Reviewed on by Dr Alexander Lapa (Psychiatrist) All information on this page has been reviewed and verified by a certified addiction professional.
GBL, also known as gamma-butyrolactone, is a once recognised legal high, now found as an illegal substance for its toxic and high-risk contents. Found within paint stripper and industrial products, GBL is a hazardous chemical, defined as both a sedative and depressant down to its effects.
Alone, its initial role showcases how damaging GBL can be through consumption. Yet its impacts and influence on drug-related death rates, now making it illicit, highlights the harm that GBL drug addiction can result in.
Engaging with the body, similarly to alcohol, GBL soon turns into GHB, which ultimately suppresses the functioning of the central nervous system, found to slow down and relax activity. The euphoric effects of GBL are sought-after, like many other legal highs, yet the damaging side effects are extremely lethal, from lasting mental health issues to overdose risks and death.
As GBL is one of the most damaging drugs, if you’re addicted to it, it’s very important that you look towards professional and medical detoxification, followed by therapeutic treatment options. Finding GBL addiction treatment & drug rehab services will be recommended, to withdraw from such an impactful substance safely and sensibly.
At Asana Lodge, we can point you in the right direction through our GBL addiction help services, found within our private drug and alcohol rehab clinic, here to help you through rehab.
Formerly found as a legal high, GBL is a substance that works to suppress the central nervous system. It’s compared closely to alcohol for their mutual effects including euphoria and suppression.
Once entered into the system, GBL turns into GHB which carries sedative effects, inducing relaxation and drowsiness. Known to last a few hours, due to its once legal high image, many users do also consume it, similarly to alcohol, on a consistent and long-term basis.
However, with its now illegal classification, down to the toxicity of GBL, such consumption habits are very dangerous, not only from the contents of the drug but also down to the effects that it induces.
GBL can be extremely addictive when exposure is consistent. This is down to the feelings that it transpires through the central nervous system, providing respite for many users. Such feelings are desired, which churns the cycle of GBL addiction, even quicker than imaginable.
As users receive a positive, on a psychological scale, from GBL exposure, such positives will be aimed for through consumption, supporting how psychologically addictive the drug is. This can be very tough to overcome without restoration, as the brain and mind will rely on GBL to relax, to reach a sense of sedation and suppression.
There are also significant dangers to GBL addiction, including mental health vulnerabilities, extreme overdose risks, and high toxicity when mixed with other substances. It’s also associated as a date-rape drug, down to its anaesthetic-like impacts, making it one of the most lethal substances through its multitude of risks.
If you’re abusing GBL, it is important to be aware of such dangers, along with how easy an addiction can develop through its exposure. Considering GBL addiction treatment & rehab services will be required to suppress the physical and psychological habit of GBL consumption.
If you or someone you know are encountering the below signs, GBL addiction help should be sourced with immediate effect. While it can be challenging to accept drug rehab services, it will be vital too, as ongoing exposure can result in the above dangers.
Signs of GBL addiction include:
A GBL addiction can present itself in many ways, which is why it’s important to be aware of its rapid, addictive tendencies. The above are however the most common which reflect the combination of GBL consumption and behavioural changes.
If you’re worried about such changes, GBL addiction treatment & rehab services will be able to assist, offered here at Asana Lodge.
To physically withdraw from GBL, detoxification will be required. A number of GBL addiction detox steps will be recommended, only through a rehab clinic, to preserve health and comfort.
The detox process will start immediately after recent GBL exposure, which will follow the usual addiction cycle, where remorse and withdrawal symptoms surface. Usually, this will be the point of ongoing consumption. However, through detoxification, exposure will be diminished, to induce withdrawal.
Over the first few days, withdrawal from GBL can be tough, as withdrawal symptoms begin to appear. From sleep problems and irritability to anxiety and nausea, symptoms are expected as GBL slowly leaves the system. The following days will see some potentially greater symptoms, as the brain also experiences shock, which can develop to chronic symptoms including hallucinations, anxiety, and seizures. However, through a private drug and alcohol rehab clinic, observations will continually be made to reduce the risk of such symptoms.
Usually towards the final steps, at the 7–10-day mark, withdrawal symptoms will subsidies, making way for GBL addiction treatment & rehab services.
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Following on from detoxification will be a range of addiction treatment services, to promote psychological recovery. This is our key focus area here at Asana Lodge, as cognitive restoration can also benefit physical recovery.
Here you will be met with a range of suitable treatment options, fitting for your history with GBL addiction. Commonly completed services include dialectical behavioural therapy, stress management, dual diagnosis treatment and exposure therapy. Further rehab offerings including lifestyle management, relapse prevention and NAD+ therapy are also encouraged to strengthen long-term recovery rates.
Securing GBL addiction treatment & rehab services is very important if you’re struggling, as without them, it can be difficult to switch off the reinforcement of exposure. Here at Asana Lodge, you can secure the right treatment for your needs.
GBL was once legal, however is now illegal down to its makeup and its dangerous effects. Rape, overdose, and mental health issues are strongly linked, making GBL an illicit drug. It’s important to remember this while considering consumption, as its prior image now reflects a very different likelihood.
Treatment for GBL addiction will take place through rehab, helping to secure recovery capabilities. Those capabilities will then be focused on and preserved after rehab, through the offering of aftercare and relapse prevention.
You’ll look to reach a sense of normality, for life after rehab, yet by actively investing in your long-term recovery journey.
Drug addiction can develop due to varying influences, including genetics, social pressures, and environments. A common cause of GBL addiction is linked to a pre-existing vulnerability while chasing the positive feelings it induces. Through ongoing exposure and the association of reinforcement, a GBL addiction can develop.
In the event of GBL abuse, considering support will be advised. Accept ours at Asana lodge through GBL addiction treatment & rehab services.
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