by Jennifer Leigh | Jul 26, 2022 | Recovery |
Family and friends mean well. They want our suffering to end, so they encourage us to get help. They may feel that we aren’t doing all we can to hasten our recovery if we shy away from doctors, medications, treatments, therapy, or detox centers. But is seeking...
by Jennifer Leigh | Jun 23, 2022 | Recovery |
June 23 is always a happy day! It is the day I celebrate being benzo free. This June, I celebrate eleven years! I can’t believe that much time has passed. I am incredibly grateful for each day that I’ve been benzo free. If you aren’t familiar with my...
by Jennifer Leigh | Apr 1, 2022 | Coping Skills |
Every person contemplates existence, but pondering can turn into paranoia and panic while in the throes of benzo withdrawal. Questions and concerns about the meaning of life, death, existence, who we are, time, the universe, and our souls, can torment us. Existential...
by Jennifer Leigh | Mar 25, 2022 | Coping Skills |
I’ve experienced depression in my life, dark days that followed sad events. But I’d never experienced the soul-crushing bleakness that can come with benzo withdrawal. When it arrived, I was shocked and terrified. It felt as if it could destroy me....
by Jennifer Leigh | Mar 18, 2022 | Coping Skills |
If you discovered a new color, how could you explain it to someone? There would be no reference point; it’s not blue, orange, etc. It’s the same with benzo withdrawal. There is no reference point. How can we explain the symptoms we experience so that...
by Jennifer Leigh | Mar 12, 2022 | Coping Skills |
I could have been the poster girl for intrusive thoughts. I had one that entered my mind thirty seconds after waking and only left after drifting off to sleep. It tortured me. I thought I had gone mad, my mind so broken that the pieces would never go back together....
by Jennifer Leigh | Feb 24, 2022 | Hope |
The lyrics in Don’t McLeans’ song, American Pie, sure hit home, don’t they? But February made me shiver With every paper I’d deliver Bad news on the doorstep I couldn’t take one more step If the headlines increase your benzo withdrawal...
by Jennifer Leigh | Feb 21, 2022 | Recovery |
If there was an Olympics for benzo support groups, Mornings With Jenn just won the gold medal. I’m not bragging; I’m telling the truth. Mornings With Jenn, my live support group, moved from a secret Facebook group to Discord. Finally, people in benzo...
by Jennifer Leigh | Feb 13, 2022 | Recovery |
This October marks twelve years that I have been a part of the benzo community. Those first few years were challenging: tapering, bedridden, cold turkeyed, psych ward, etc. A whole lot of fun. Not! I’ve been doing my best to help people throughout my healing...
by Jennifer Leigh | Feb 13, 2022 | Coping Skills |
Most psychiatrists, PCPs, functional medicine doctors, naturopaths, neurologists, internists, etc., are ignorant about benzo withdrawal. They haven’t been taught the dangers of benzodiazepines or the damage they can cause. If you seek medical help for benzo...
