Knackered Sorts Add on Disorders with Benzos

   Hey there.  Knackered here.  Most of us are all too familiar with add on medications.  Sometimes they help with the hell we’re going through.  All too often they become just one more ingredient in the casserole of crud we have to escape from.  

   We may be surprised though that unknown to lots of us, there are also add on disorders that are sure to crop up as we endure this ongoing trial of life.  

   Knackered’s not referring to the usual DSM-5 litany of stuff every provider uses to label us.  Hidden amongst the usual list of suspects: ie depression, anxiety, despair and total physical wipe out, there lies a pair of social disorders just waiting for a chance to sink their teeth in.

   He’s referring to none other than FOMO and associated parasocial problems.  For those of us new to this, fear of missing out and social ideations of those who seem to have it all can serve to wreck our heads.

   A good example of ‘fear of missing out’ is that phone call from a friend or relative that comes just after your last trip to the bathroom and while you’re freezing to death and wrapped up in a blanket on the couch.  

   After barely saying hello, they’ll begin to regale you with tales of the beautiful life they’re living, their wonderful children, and the jaw dropping places they’ve been and things they’ve seen.  By this time, of course, a puke fest is in order as you try to remember the last time you’ve even left the house.

   Of course, social media can play a large part in terms of turning FOMO into parasocial ideation. Clothes, lifestyles, and opinions are displayed to the extreme by numerous influencers.  Many take snaps of their food and and coffee cups so we’ll know how the beautiful people live.     

    All this can serve to turn personal identification into the desire to put our own lives out there as well.  After all, if it’s not posted, it didn’t really happen.  

   Most of us hurt too bad to want to ‘be like Mike’ any more, but how many of us have bought a product or adopted an opinion due to the persuasion of a well regarded personality? 

   So, whatcha gonna do?  In the interest of full disclosure, Knackered has taken the ‘honesty approach’. “Well, I’d like to go with you, but I’m currently entering my fourth year of Benzodiazepine withdrawal.  It’s horrible and even if I survive this, it will take six months to a year afterwards to achieve anything close to ‘being normal’ again.” 

   Let the ensuing silence speak for itself as the conversation draws to a close quickly and naturally.  Lest you feel embarrassed or less than afterwards, take a moment to ponder these words:  Eastern thought views the universe as the same or inseparable from oneself. With this thought in mind, one could say that without leaving the house, you can know the universe. Your actions alone blend with the tides, the winds, and seasons.  Travel (if you can), taper safely, and and be with it all.  Of course you can. (Adapted from Alan Watts)