by Jennifer Leigh | Sep 12, 2022 | Coping Skills, Uncategorized |
Taking a benzodiazepine, even as prescribed, can damage the calming system in our bodies. The consequence of that happening is that we are easily emotionally triggered. Anger or rage can erupt instantaneously, or fear, terror, or panic engulf us in the blink of an...
by Jennifer Leigh | Sep 5, 2022 | Coping Skills |
It’s Labor Day Weekend, and I’m across the San Francisco bay helping out with my three-week-old grandson. On Friday, traffic was heavy, with people heading out for fun and relaxation on this last summer holiday. I’ll head back to the East Bay later...
by Jennifer Leigh | Sep 1, 2022 | Coping Skills |
I sat with my best friend in her apartment, sharing all of my benzo withdrawal symptoms. She listened as she had done so many times before. Her facial expression changed when I got to the end of the laundry list of fears and complaints about my mental and physical...
by Jennifer Leigh | Aug 27, 2022 | Recovery |
Making decisions can be overwhelming for people experiencing benzo withdrawal or BIND (benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction). And it’s not just the big decisions that trip us up; even the small day-to-day decisions, such as what to wear, can feel...
by Jennifer Leigh | Aug 25, 2022 | Coping Skills |
DPDR stands for depersonalization and derealization. DPDR is an anxiety response to extreme stress. It makes sense that DPDR is a common benzo withdrawal symptom since the body’s calming mechanism, the GABA receptors, have been downregulated from the drug. DPDR...
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, Popular |
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...
