World Benzodiazepine Awareness day videos

[[Fl...]]

Nope!  Much of this stuff is just too scary for some of the people here. 

 

World Benzodiazepine Awareness day is a great group and have a great idea but not here in a taper forum. Not the right place and or timing.

 

This isn't a taper forum. This is a news forum.

[[...]]

Nope!  Much of this stuff is just too scary for some of the people here. 

 

World Benzodiazepine Awareness day is a great group and have a great idea but not here in a taper forum. Not the right place and or timing.

 

This isn't a taper forum. This is a news forum.

 

This section is indeed called "Benzos in the News" and July 11th was the first ever W-BAD ever. While I agree that watching testimonies of fellow benzo-warriors was emotionally difficult, I am proud of those who have found it in them to speak out, talk about the horrors benzos can put people through. It might not be for everyone especially during withdrawal BUT if that is not news worthy, I don't know what is!!

 

"Benzos in the News" should be used with caution by vulnerable Buddies, we cannot start censuring here. Thanks to the moderators  for their awesome work  :thumbsup:

[[No...]]

This is a "news" thread ... I don't need someone to look after what I should be seeing or not seeing as I go through this process ... I can make my own decisions, thank you very much ...

 

I applaud all those who made videos for the awareness day ... each one was validating for me ...

[[...]]

Precisely right.  Informed decision. 

 

I think the majority of us here try to be as considerate and as encouraging as we can, but we can only kid-glove to a point otherwise it's defeating the whole purpose of this forum, IMO. 

 

Someone mentioned a few days ago about political correctness and I have to wonder how much of this desire to stifle information is a result of the genuine desire to protect vulnerable people and how much of it is a kneejerk reaction that is a result of our overly touchy-feely society that has taught people that "words that hurt" should never be spoken.

 

FG, truthfully, I don't know what to say.  Most times, even if I don't agree with someone's sentiments, at least I can get the gist of where they're coming from.  This time, however, I can't wrap my head around it at all.  Sorry, Birdy.   

[[Fl...]]

Yes, thank you to everyone who participated in these videos. The more people who are willing to share their story the more people will have to pay attention and it provides much needed validation for other people who are going through this. It is one thing to read and write messages but it's another thing to see the faces and hear the voices of others who have been so profoundly affected by these drugs.

[[Co...]]

I have a lot of sympathy for Birdman's perspective on this. It is the position I tend to strive for myself. At the same time though, except for some core principles regarding good manners and respect, I do not propose to organise BB according to my personal tastes, preferences and perspectives. I think BB should be as broad in its appeal as possible. At the same time, we all must try to accept that it is not possible for a space such as BB to please all of its members all of the time. If we can get to the position where most members are happy with how BB is organised most of the time, I think that is about as much for which we can realistically hope.

 

I recall a thread a few years ago about a Facebook group called 'Wall of Pain'. This was when 'Timelines' were called 'Walls', so it was a play on words. The content on WoP (unsurprisingly) tended to be rather dark. If we pitch an environment as negative, we should not be surprised when content submissions tend to be negative. I criticised the concept of Wall of Pain for those reasons. But, those were just personal opinions stated in a thread which I did not start.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=77770.0

 

I made several comments in throughout that thread which are probably pertinent to my, Birdman's and the comments of some others in this thread. Maybe my remarks there will help address some of the concerns raised in this thread. Maybe.

 

So, my general personal view aligns with Birdman's on this matter. But when I have my owner's hat on, I think much more broadly about these matters. And, to be clear, my comments here are general in nature - I have not reviewed the BAD videos at Youtube - I do not mean to imply criticism of BAD.

[[...]]

I made several comments in throughout that thread which are probably pertinent to my, Birdman's and the comments of some others in this thread. Maybe my remarks there will help address some of the concerns raised in this thread. Maybe.

 

Glad you provided the link, Colin, because my first instinct was to scratch my head even more furiously .  So, simply put, your position is that your ideal would be for a forum where everyone were to focus on being optimistic, positive and hopeful.  Would that be correct?  Cos who could argue with that.

 

Yet, in real life:  Member A wins $100 and is ecstatic.  Member B wins $1,000 and is disgruntled it's not more.  Member C wins $10,000 and forgets to cash the check.  And each of their reactions can shift with time and circumstances.

 

I choose to stand with you with your owner's hat on.  Let's keep it real.

[[Fl...]]

So, my general personal view aligns with Birdman's on this matter. But when I have my owner's hat on, I think much more broadly about these matters. And, to be clear, my comments here are general in nature - I have not reviewed the BAD videos at Youtube - I do not mean to imply criticism of BAD.

 

That's the thing- the videos are pretty much just people briefly summarizing their experience and explaining why they chose to be a part of the movement. There isn't anything in there that is any more alarming than what we see every day on hundreds of posts here.

 

That's what worries me. If stuff like that posted on the benzo news board is too scary....well, I think people need to ask themselves whether or not the information is truly alarmist in nature or if this is just a kneejerk reaction to the tendency to avoid uncomfortable truths that is so common in today's society.

[[Bi...]]

So, my general personal view aligns with Birdman's on this matter. But when I have my owner's hat on, I think much more broadly about these matters. And, to be clear, my comments here are general in nature - I have not reviewed the BAD videos at Youtube - I do not mean to imply criticism of BAD.

 

That's the thing- the videos are pretty much just people briefly summarizing their experience and explaining why they chose to be a part of the movement. There isn't anything in there that is any more alarming than what we see every day on hundreds of posts here.

 

That's what worries me. If stuff like that posted on the benzo news board is too scary....well, I think people need to ask themselves whether or not the information is truly alarmist in nature or if this is just a kneejerk reaction to the tendency to avoid uncomfortable truths that is so common in today's society.

 

Some of the people on these 'BAD' video's talk like they are damaged for life.  Not all but some.  It scares me to death to even hear that kind of stuff. 

I understand why 'BAD' does this and I hope people get educated but for me watching these video's is just the same as a visit to the protracted board for me.  It's just depressing and worries me since I have some symptoms that are getting worse the longer I stay off.  Subconsciously I'm worried I will never fully heal.  Maybe that's it :'(      Being damaged for life is an uncomfortable truth.  The lack of success stories is an uncomfortable truth too.  I've been here for almost 4 years and I remember lots of topics complaining about the lack of success stories.  BAD is an uncomfortable confirmation for me of maybe why this is.

 

I'm just speaking what I am feeling.  Left me with a bad vib.

 

[[La...]]

I think it's hard to keep a perspective on things, since we don't have a real handle on the larger picture. My understanding is that more than 20,000 people have been members of BB in the past 10 years. That's a lot of people. Does everyone write a Success Story? Not likely. Does everyone stay around to reassure the others? Not likely. Are there many others out there who heal and never write one thing on BB. Yes, probably.

 

From what I can tell, W-BAD was about showing how bad things are when coming off benzodiazepines. It wasn't about the Success Stories.

 

One day, perhaps we'll have more solid statistics and information. For now, we have access to a lot more information than ever before (think of those who went through benzo withdrawal in the years before the internet), but there's a long way to go. We have to deal with a lot of unknowns, and that's not easy.

 

Birdman, all I can say is you have to take care of your own soul. If you're not comfortable watching the W-BAD vidoes or reading the Protracted board, then don't. Be good to yourself. Be gentle with yourself. If you can, stick with the positive things that give you hope.

 

For me, the W-BAD videos gave me some perspective on the breadth of the problem. But of course, they were sad and uncomfortable to watch. I don't plan to watch them again. It's better for me to focus on other things -- especially things that reinforce how the body heals.

[[Bi...]]

I think it's hard to keep a perspective on things, since we don't have a real handle on the larger picture. My understanding is that more than 20,000 people have been members of BB in the past 10 years. That's a lot of people. Does everyone write a Success Story? Not likely. Does everyone stay around to reassure the others? Not likely. Are there many others out there who heal and never write one thing on BB. Yes, probably.

 

From what I can tell, W-BAD was about showing how bad things are when coming off benzodiazepines. It wasn't about the Success Stories.

 

One day, perhaps we'll have more solid statistics and information. For now, we have access to a lot more information than ever before (think of those who went through benzo withdrawal in the years before the internet), but there's a long way to go. We have to deal with a lot of unknowns, and that's not easy.

 

Birdman, all I can say is you have to take care of your own soul. If you're not comfortable watching the W-BAD vidoes or reading the Protracted board, then don't. Be good to yourself. Be gentle with yourself. If you can, stick with the positive things that give you hope.

 

For me, the W-BAD videos gave me some perspective on the breadth of the problem. But of course, they were sad and uncomfortable to watch. I don't plan to watch them again. It's better for me to focus on other things -- especially things that reinforce how the body heals.

 

Thanks for the kind words Lapis   My tinnitus is slowly going from a jet engine sound to a tea kettle sound. I hope that is a good sign.

 

Wishing you speedy healing with your tinnitus.

 

Birdy

[[Fl...]]

There are multiple angles to this problem and I believe that we have a responsibility to everyone to state the truth but at the same time we have to be conscious of folks who are more fragile and we have to make sure we stick to the facts to avoid being dismissed by the rest of society. It's a fine line to have to walk but I think if we keep things in perspective we can effectively tackle everything that needs to be accomplished.

[[La...]]

I think it's hard to keep a perspective on things, since we don't have a real handle on the larger picture. My understanding is that more than 20,000 people have been members of BB in the past 10 years. That's a lot of people. Does everyone write a Success Story? Not likely. Does everyone stay around to reassure the others? Not likely. Are there many others out there who heal and never write one thing on BB. Yes, probably.

 

From what I can tell, W-BAD was about showing how bad things are when coming off benzodiazepines. It wasn't about the Success Stories.

 

One day, perhaps we'll have more solid statistics and information. For now, we have access to a lot more information than ever before (think of those who went through benzo withdrawal in the years before the internet), but there's a long way to go. We have to deal with a lot of unknowns, and that's not easy.

 

Birdman, all I can say is you have to take care of your own soul. If you're not comfortable watching the W-BAD vidoes or reading the Protracted board, then don't. Be good to yourself. Be gentle with yourself. If you can, stick with the positive things that give you hope.

 

For me, the W-BAD videos gave me some perspective on the breadth of the problem. But of course, they were sad and uncomfortable to watch. I don't plan to watch them again. It's better for me to focus on other things -- especially things that reinforce how the body heals.

 

Thanks for the kind words Lapis   My tinnitus is slowly going from a jet engine sound to a tea kettle sound. I hope that is a good sign.

 

Wishing you speedy healing with your tinnitus.

 

Birdy

 

Thanks, Birdman. The tinnitus doesn't really bother me so much; I just ignore it. But the dizziness/disequilibrium is completely disabling. If it goes, I've got a chance. Hoping it's soon.

 

I wish you all the best too!

 

[[...]]

Lapis said it best.  Hugs, Birdy  and thanks for un-spinning my brain 

If it makes you feel any better, I watched only two minutes of a video someone sent me of a BB I've crossed paths with, always nice to put a face to the words ... besides that, I didn't even click on any of these posted here, I've seen enough of them in the past and it's just not my thing.  And I keep a distance from the blogs too, makes me uncomfortable and yet it's a source of great support and a safe place for so many others.  Different strokes ... But at the end of the day, we're all still very much the same.