As you probably know by now, Lisa Ling’s expose on the dangers of benzodiazepines airs October 6th on CNN. The producer of Lisa’s show contacted me ages ago when the segment was being considered. I told him, please, above all else, believe the people you interview, and report the facts correctly. My fingers are crossed that the truth will be shown. A shout-out to all who participated. Your bravery in being vulnerable and sharing your experience is much appreciated. I can’t wait to watch!

If you share anything on social media about the show, know that you may receive comments that are from people who aren’t benzo educated. I have already replied to some comments on other people’s Facebook pages in an attempt to educate. Some of the things you may read will be that people abuse benzos and that is why there is a problem. Of course, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Other comments will be about how safe the drugs are if you take them as prescribed. You may find yourself getting revved up wanting to “set people straight.” Please tread carefully. It is not your job to educate people or to save people. Your number one top priority is to heal. When you are more recovered, of course, jump in and be an activist and help educate the world about benzos. But until you are more healed, please avoid the stress of getting into debates or arguments with anyone who doesn’t understand benzo withdrawal. It’s not worth the emotional upheaval. I know we all want others to understand the inhumane degree of suffering that benzo withdrawal can cause—we want people to respect what we’ve so courageously have had to endure. But again, it is not worth the stress involved to try to get people to know our plight. Besides, unless someone has experienced benzo withdrawal, they will never be able to fully comprehend the suffering. Best to save your breath (and adrenal glands!) and focus on your recovery instead of trying to explain your circumstances in detail to people who won’t be able to fathom it.

Remember, the show may be triggering for some of you, so please take good care of yourself. Reach out for support if you need to. We do heal. In time. Life becomes very sweet! I thought for sure I’d never get my life back, but I did. You will, too.

In other news in the benzo community, Dr. Heather Ashton passed away peacefully. This is hard news for us to bear, I know. We all owe such an enormous debt of gratitude to her. She was a very brave woman to expose the truth about benzos and to write the manual that has become the backbone of knowledge on how to withdraw from them and what to expect in the way of symptoms. Her work will live on in all of us who speak up about the dangers of these drugs. She set the foundation for us to stand upon and we build upon that foundation. My heart is heavy, mourning her loss, but my heart is also full of immense respect and gratitude for her dedication to the truth about benzodiazepines. May we all take comfort from one another at this time. May you rest in peace, Dr. Ashton, your work on earth is done. You did an amazing job, and we thank you!

 

If you feel you need more support while in benzo withdrawal—with the focus on solutions for well-being instead of just focusing on symptoms—please feel free to join the Mornings With Jenn support group. We meet via a private Facebook group on Mondays and Wednesday mornings at 9 AM pacific time. We will be discussing the four cornerstones of well-being, eat right, move more, stress less, and love well. Included in the membership is access to the Acceptance Workshop content and videos as well as the content and videos for the Healing With Love Workshop. (We will discuss them in the group.) Also, I will be posting private blog content just for members of Mornings With Jenn. There will also be a daily check-in “to do” suggestion to give you food for thought to manage your day. I’ll be doing surprise “pop-up” live videos in the Facebook group to keep things fun and lively. You can join at any time of the month. Membership is $59 a month. You can cancel your subscription at any time. If you have any questions, please drop me a line.

You can join the group here:

This product requires Stripe Payments Subscription addon.