I’ve been off my benzo for eleven years and healed for quite some time.  I haven’t forgotten what I went through, but thankfully, I don’t think about it very often, and when I do, I am not traumatized by the memories. You’ll heal and move on, just as I have. If you are starting out on your recovery, here are some suggestions to make the journey more comfortable:

• Educate yourself. Read reliable benzo websites for information. Read the Ashton Manual for some guidelines. Don’t blindly trust information from support groups, individuals, or uneducated doctors. Do your research.
• Avoid spending too much time in online support groups focusing on the problems instead of the solutions. Once you have knowledge, put your energy into positive coping and healing instead of going down rabbit holes of doom and gloom, “what if,” or “maybe this treatment or drug is the cure.”
• Embrace the four cornerstones of well-being: eat right (WFPB), move enough, stress less, and love well.
• Practice acceptance, patience, gratitude, and distraction as much as possible.
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine, stimulants, herbal remedies, and supplements such as vitamin B12, magnesium, fish oil, and vitamin D unless medically necessary. (Fish oil is never necessary. Use an algae supplement if you need EFA support.) Marijuana, CBD, some prescriptions, and over-the-counter meds can worsen symptoms. Do your research before taking medications. Anything that works on GABA should be avoided if possible.
• If you need an antibiotic, avoid using fluoroquinolones.
• There is no way out of benzo withdrawal/BIND except through. There are no drugs, treatments, supplements, herbs, etc., that quickly repair downregulated GABA receptors. The four cornerstones and time are what help us heal. (HDAC inhibitors, found in some plant foods, are thought to help hasten GABA repair and be protective. https://benzowithdrawalhelp.com/food/do-hdac-inhibitors-upregulate-gaba-receptors/ )
• Avoid trying to educate family, friends, or medical providers who are not open to learning. The frustration isn’t worth it.
• Know possible benzo withdrawal symptoms. A list can be found at benzoinfo.com (https://www.benzoinfo.com/benzodiazepine-withdrawal-post-withdrawal-symptoms/)
• Understand your autonomic nervous system, especially “state drives story.”
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