One in 10 Israelis Misuse Sedatives in Wake of War, Study Finds
Experts warn Israel is facing a silent addiction crisis as sedative use rivals cannabis and alcohol in national misuse rates
Israelis may be developing a dangerous dependence on prescription sedatives and other medications in the wake of the October 7 terror attack and the ongoing war, according to new research released this month by the Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health (ICAMH) at Hebrew University.
The study, titled “Prevalence of Substance and Behavioral Addictions and Common Mental Health Disorders in Israel, 2022–2025,” draws on nationally representative samples collected before and after the current crisis: April 2022 (pre-war), December 2023 (post-attack), and February 2025 (approximately one year later).
The findings offer a rare, long-term look at how trauma and conflict affect the mental health of a nation. They show a sharp and sustained increase in the use of prescription sedatives across the general population.
In 2022, roughly 3.8% of Israelis reported misusing sedatives. By December 2023, that figure had jumped to 10.6%. In the latest round of data, collected in February 2025, the rate remained high at 10.2%.
Sedatives include sleep aids and widely used benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium, as well as hypnotics such as Ambien.
When people start deciding for themselves how much to use and when, it often becomes problematic or even harmful
“This is not a surprising result of the war,” ICAMH’s Prof. Dvora Shmulewitz, also a member of the Department of Psychology at Hebrew University, told The Media Line. “People are under stress and using coping mechanisms they are used to. They may even see the use of their prescription sedatives as reasonable. However, when people start deciding for themselves how much to use and when, it often becomes problematic or even harmful.”
Shmulewitz said a spike in sedative use immediately following the October 7 massacre was expected. But what’s more concerning, she noted, is that around 10% of the general population is still reporting high usage more than a year later. On the one hand, it suggests people have developed habits. On the other hand, it reflects ongoing psychological strain.
The war is not over. When people are under high stress, they often turn to medication to deal with it.
“The war is not over,” Shmulewitz pointed out. “When people are under high stress, they often turn to medication to deal with it.”
The research team plans to conduct another round of surveys in February 2026, by which time Shmulewitz hopes the country will have started to return to normal. That future data will help determine whether sedative use begins to decline.
Currently, the 10% rate of problematic sedative use puts these medications on par with other commonly abused substances like cannabis and alcohol. According to the data, men and women misuse sedatives at similar levels.
The highest rates of misuse are among the oldest age group (ages 50–70), which saw sedative use jump from 7% in 2022 to 14% in 2025. However, Shmulewitz said that increases were reported across all age groups.
Misuse of other prescription medications, including stimulants and opioids, also increased, though not as dramatically as sedatives. Use of prescription stimulants rose from 3.8% in 2022 to 6.2% in 2025, while opioid misuse increased from 2.6% to 4.7% over the same period.
The survey was conducted by a multidisciplinary team of psychologists and mental health researchers from ICAMH at Hebrew University, including Shmulewitz, PhD student Maor Levitin, Dr. Vera Skvirsky, Merav Vider, Prof. Shaul Lev-Ran, and Prof. Mario Mikulincer.
It was based on a repeated cross-sectional survey of Jewish adults in Israel, including a longitudinal subset. The team noted that its research design enables population-level prevalence estimates and within-person tracking over time, an approach rarely employed in post-conflict mental health studies.
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These most recent findings are part of a broader research series that began in 2018 and was launched by the original ICAMH center in Netanya. The surveys are conducted online and take about 40 minutes to complete. Each wave includes responses from more than 2,000 participants, up to 4,000. While technically not fully representative of the entire Jewish Israeli population, Shmulewitz said the sample closely aligns with the country’s basic sociodemographic makeup.
Beyond sedatives, the study examined other areas of concern and found notable increases in problematic internet use, PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms.
According to the survey, over 15% of respondents reported problematic use of at least one substance or behavior by early 2025. The sharpest increases occurred between April 2022 and December 2023, aligning with the aftermath of the October 7 attacks and the start of wartime mobilization. Some addictions, like excessive internet use or pornography, spiked immediately after the attack but later leveled off. Others continued to climb well into 2025.
The report also emphasized significant sociodemographic differences. Young adults (ages 18–34) consistently showed the highest rates of addiction and mental health symptoms. Men were more likely than women to report substance and behavioral addictions, especially in areas such as cannabis use, pornography, and compulsive sexual behavior. Secular and traditional Jews showed higher rates of addiction than their Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox peers.
The study focused on six commonly misused substances in Israel: tobacco, cannabis, alcohol, prescription sedatives, prescription stimulants, and prescription opioid painkillers.
Tobacco use, which Shmulewitz noted is often viewed as a distinct category, remained steady at over 30% of the population. Alcohol and cannabis use remained relatively stable as well, at about 12% and 11.5%, respectively.
Shmulewitz said that tracking the prevalence of addictions and other common mental health disorders during and after nationally traumatic events is essential to understanding the evolving mental health of the population. It also helps inform potential interventions and resource allocation.
She said raising awareness, from the level of the Health Ministry down to individual physicians and patients, can have both immediate and long-term impact.
Doctors need to be aware so they can ask their patients, especially those who are already prescribed potentially problematic drug
“People can help themselves by getting therapy,” Shmulewitz said as an example. “Doctors need to be aware so they can ask their patients, especially those who are already prescribed potentially problematic drugs.
“It is harder to get rid of a habit once it is developed, so it is better to stop it before it gets difficult and gets worse, and the person becomes addicted or dependent.”
Dr. Paola Rosca of Hebrew University, who also serves as director of the Department for the Treatment of Substance Abuse at the Ministry of Health, said efforts are already underway to address the issue.
For starters, she told The Media Line that physicians are being educated about the growing challenge. A general practitioner (GP), she explained, can often spot early signs of medication misuse and intervene before it escalates into addiction.
In addition, the Health Ministry is working with the HMOs to increase the availability of outpatient addiction services, particularly in settings that do not carry stigma.
According to Rosca, individuals misusing prescription drugs often hesitate to seek help through standard social welfare programs, as they don’t want to be associated with so-called “junkies.”
People like you and me start to abuse medications, and this differentiation is very important.
“People like you and me start to abuse medications, and this differentiation is very important,” she said.
Moreover, all HMOs now have special committees to track prescriptions of opioids and sedatives. This data enables early identification of individuals who fill prescriptions too frequently, allowing for prompt intervention before the trend develops into a broader epidemic.
“We are trying to increase the availability of treatment for people who got addicted,” Rosca added. She noted that most HMOs are now creating specialized hubs where individuals can be evaluated to determine whether they are addicted, physically dependent, or capable of managing the situation on their own.
Things are really getting better, but we still have a lot to do. It is all about prevention and early identification so that we can help people in time.
“Things are really getting better, but we still have a lot to do,” Rosca admitted. “It is all about prevention and early identification so that we can help people in time.”
The study also reinforced what has been shown in several other reports; some mental health indicators have not returned to baseline, even more than a year after the start of the war. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for example, spiked after the October 7 attacks and remains elevated in 2025. Symptoms of depression and anxiety have followed a similar pattern.
Maccabi Health Services, one of Israel’s largest HMOs, released new data this month showing a 307% increase in PTSD diagnoses among children and adolescents under the age of 18 who are receiving mental health care.
Between 2016 and 2022, Maccabi recorded an annual average of 126 PTSD diagnoses in this age group. That number jumped to 500 in 2023 and climbed to 526 in 2024, averaging 513 yearly. According to the HMO, the upward trend appears to continue in 2025, with about 170 diagnoses already recorded in just the first quarter.
These are children still grappling with intense experiences of loss, displacement, existential fear, and ongoing stress, some of whom have been exposed to this for nearly two years straight
“These are children still grappling with intense experiences of loss, displacement, existential fear, and ongoing stress, some of whom have been exposed to this for nearly two years straight,” Dr. Yehuda Tanuri-Liman, deputy director of the Mental Health Division at Maccabi Healthcare Services, told The Media Line. “
The longer their distress goes untreated, the higher the risk of long-term emotional, social, and academic consequences. We’re seeing it on the ground: more children in emotional distress who are struggling with daily functioning, more absences from school, more avoidance of social interactions, and more parents feeling helpless in the face of their children’s difficulties.”
