Benzo Buddies vs Facebook benzo recovery forum

[Guest [fl...]]

Thanks, RKO. I hope I turn a corner one day. If it weren't relentless and mentally torturous chemical anxiety...ugh. I was on a lot longer than you and did zero taper, so...who knows? It's a crap shoot who gets better.  :'(

[[Co...]]

That's because people who are still struggling after 3 or 4 years on this forum usually post more in the protracted group. People have to go through a certain set of steps to see that part of the forum. Also, there is far less censorship in Facebook groups.

 

There are still plenty of positive people in a lot of the benzo groups on Facebook too. I met a lot of good people in those groups who were positive and encouraged me forward. Just need to find the right group. Try the group Positives While Healing From Benzodiazepines.

 

Yes, I expect that there are better run Facebook groups too. But I would not know because I do not frequent the groups there (or even use Facebook). But from what's been written to this thread, it seems that the larger (more popular) groups at facebook are less positive experiences - have I understood this correctly?

[[An...]]

I joined several benzo FB groups. 1) Some of the groups were overly moderated and if you are a free thinker or have ideas that deviate from their guidelines, they delete your posts and send you nasty PM's. No thank you! 2) My feed was getting overwhelmed with posts, and most of them were subjects I'd rather not read. You have no way of filtering out anything.

 

Overall, I just felt there was too much negativity, heavy moderation in two groups, and subject matter that was triggering and not helpful to me. I deleted my membership from all. Here on BB you can avoid stuff that doesn't pertain to you, moderation isn't heavy, and more openness to discuss other subjects in forums set aside for that. The FB groups were always negative it seemed, BB was at one point where that was going on, and mods, admins and Colin have worked to reverse that. It does feel more positive here, and more open and welcoming.

 

I think a web-based forum works better than a closed social media group. Your history sounds very similar to the member Meaganz. She hasn't been active much because she finally healed. She struggled for a little over 3 years, but has come through the worst and had been posting a lot of positive milestones she experienced. She had some occasional bumps in the road, and that self-doubt (what we call "benzo lies" here on BB) crept in at times, but ultimately she happily declared that you really do heal. She isn't active now, because she's enjoying life, as she should be. If she could do it, so can you. Think positive. Avoid negativity and self doubt. I keep telling myself I am healing, and I will heal, I will walk out better, stronger... because I am a survivor.

 

Oh, and what Hingie said, that is so true. Life has no guarantees, but many are grateful just to be at 95%. And many would be happy to even get to 85% or 90%. You'll get there. Be patient with yourself. Be patient with the process. I struggle with that every day.

 

I agree with everything you said about the FB benzo support groups. I hate them. BenzoBuddies is the best IMO.

[[Ha...]]

I was only on 3 months but my cold turkey was so severe. I don’t see many others non-functional for so long with no day long windows. So, I wonder the same thing. Is this permanent brain damage? I’m curious to hear what people say.

 

I was only on 6 months, admitted it was 3rd or 4tg CT but I haven't had any windows so you're doing well in my book. You'll get better, it just takes so much longer than any of want

[Guest [fl...]]

Having a mare, thank you for the support.

 

You all are right. We WILL RECOVER. 100%. No 1000%

 

 

 

[[Na...]]

 

We'll have to disagree. It depends on what kind of feedback people receive. We all deserve validation, but if people are effectively rewarded for posting negative, doom and gloom laden content, this does a disservice to other members and the person submitting the content too. In addition to this, we know that such spaces attract interesting characters who crave attention and will think nothing of inventing content in an effort to garner it.

 

There is no way to stop this completely, but some environments/structures only encourage such behaviour. It is the flip side to people using Facebook to post about their fake 'beautiful lives' (which certainly has been documented).

 

Yet on the other hand, most on BB chant the mantra "Everybody heals".  No, I'm sorry - everybody does not heal. Some of the damage done by these drugs appears to be quite permanent.

 

I think we need to be honest about that to people contemplating getting off benzos.  Yes, you'll probably get off them and most of you won't have any protracted symptoms.  Some of you will have protracted symptoms, but will eventually recover.  But .... a few of you will have lasting issues after withdrawing. They won't get better and you will likely never fully recover and in fact might be left in a pretty debilitated state. 

 

People need to know this before discontinuing their drug. It is a matter of informed consent, something that was denied to us when we were prescribed these drugs. We were never told about the dangers and pitfalls of these medications. And I'll be damned if I'm going to turn around and do the same thing to someone thinking of quitting them.

 

We shouldn't be doom and gloom, but we shouldn't polyannaish either.  Everybody does not heal, unfortunately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[An...]]

Altho Professor Ashton had great success, even she admitted that she could not get everyone she tried to help off. Plus if you do manage to get off, the underlying medical issue you started taking the drug for is often still there. In my case, benzos did not cause my severe panic and anxiety, but rather I started taking benzos to help quell my severe anxiety and panic. I do think personally that these drugs long-term end up making the underlying medical issues worse for most ppl. It is one helluva catch 22. Honestly, if the brain did not become tolerant to the drugs's anxiolytic and anti-panic effects despite the addiction component, I would probably choose to take these drugs for a lifetime for anxiety and panic management, but I became tolerant and had no choice except to try to come off and find other ways to deal with my anxiety and panic....very scary bc uncontrolled panic and anxiety can ruin any quality of life you have.

 

The real irony is from a pure medical standpoint, benzos are actually some of the safest drugs in all of modern medicine. Virtually everyone can tolerate them short-term.....for example, prior to some medical or dental procedure, ppl are given these drugs to relax them and they work beautifully with virtually no side effects or adverse reactions. It is the long-term administration for chronic medical problem management that is problematic.

[[Co...]]

 

We'll have to disagree. It depends on what kind of feedback people receive. We all deserve validation, but if people are effectively rewarded for posting negative, doom and gloom laden content, this does a disservice to other members and the person submitting the content too. In addition to this, we know that such spaces attract interesting characters who crave attention and will think nothing of inventing content in an effort to garner it.

 

There is no way to stop this completely, but some environments/structures only encourage such behaviour. It is the flip side to people using Facebook to post about their fake 'beautiful lives' (which certainly has been documented).

 

Yet on the other hand, most on BB chant the mantra "Everybody heals".  No, I'm sorry - everybody does not heal. Some of the damage done by these drugs appears to be quite permanent.

 

I think we need to be honest about that to people contemplating getting off benzos.  Yes, you'll probably get off them and most of you won't have any protracted symptoms.  Some of you will have protracted symptoms, but will eventually recover.  But .... a few of you will have lasting issues after withdrawing. They won't get better and you will likely never fully recover and in fact might be left in a pretty debilitated state. 

 

People need to know this before discontinuing their drug. It is a matter of informed consent, something that was denied to us when we were prescribed these drugs. We were never told about the dangers and pitfalls of these medications. And I'll be damned if I'm going to turn around and do the same thing to someone thinking of quitting them.

 

We shouldn't be doom and gloom, but we shouldn't polyannaish either.  Everybody does not heal, unfortunately.

 

Hi Nathan,

 

I'll point you to a couple of recent threads/posts which might help clarify my position on this:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=257324.0

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=256456.msg3248843#msg3248843

 

For some members (a small number, I suggest), and for all kinds of different and complicated reasons, continuing to use benzodiazepines might be the better option. Certainly, if after a very protected period of withdrawal, it would be understandable if some decide that they were actually better off - even if (very) imperfect - when they were taking benzodiazepines. I need to be careful here: I do not intend to discourage any members from their goal of quitting benzodiazepines. This is the basic purpose to BenzoBuddies. But it would be remiss of me to fail to acknowledge that quitting is not the most practical or best solution for everyone. So, there is an even more basic purpose to BB: to help members be the best they can be. (Read my comments in the linked thread and post). And there is no way any of us here can know what is best for another member - we do not walk in their shoes.

[[Co...]]

Altho Professor Ashton had great success, even she admitted that she could not get everyone she tried to help off. Plus if you do manage to get off, the underlying medical issue you started taking the drug for is often still there. In my case, benzos did not cause my severe panic and anxiety, but rather I started taking benzos to help quell my severe anxiety and panic. I do think personally that these drugs long-term end up making the underlying medical issues worse for most ppl. It is one helluva catch 22. Honestly, if the brain did not become tolerant to the drugs's anxiolytic and anti-panic effects despite the addiction component, I would probably choose to take these drugs for a lifetime for anxiety and panic management, but I became tolerant and had no choice except to try to come off and find other ways to deal with my anxiety and panic....very scary bc uncontrolled panic and anxiety can ruin any quality of life you have.

 

The real irony is from a pure medical standpoint, benzos are actually some of the safest drugs in all of modern medicine. Virtually everyone can tolerate them short-term.....for example, prior to some medical or dental procedure, ppl are given these drugs to relax them and they work beautifully with virtually no side effects or adverse reactions. It is the long-term administration for chronic medical problem management that is problematic.

 

I did not understand how messed up I was when taking clonazepam (4.5mg/day). But it stopped working for me and at some level I knew that I had to get off the medication. And although withdrawal was horrible, and it took years for me to reach a stage where I felt 'OK', it was the better choice for me. I am very happy to be off the medication.

[[An...]]

For some members (a small number, I suggest), and for all kinds of different and complicated reasons, continuing to use benzodiazepines might be the better option. Certainly, if after a very protected period of withdrawal, it would be understandable if some decide that they were actually better off - even if (very) imperfect - when they were taking benzodiazepines. I need to be careful here: I do not intend to discourage any members from their goal of quitting benzodiazepines. This is the basic purpose to BenzoBuddies. But it would be remiss of me to fail to acknowledge that quitting is the most practical or best solution for everyone - it is not.

 

Well put! 

 

This forum is the best support system IMHO for those wanting to come off these drugs. BB is also the last of the great internet support forums of its kind for benzo sufferers. I hope it remains open long into the future. Just coming here to read when I do not post gives me solace knowing that I am not alone in this.

 

 

[[sl...]]

People write the truth on Facebook. What's the point in lying to them?

 

Is it just me, or was this clearly a sarcastic joke?

[[or...]]

Is it just me, or was this clearly a sarcastic joke?

 

Lordy, I hope it was a joke. Truth on Facebook . . . now there's an oxymoron.

 

 

Katz

[[An...]]

Personally, I have always thought social media websites like FB and Twitter were silly but many ppl are addicted to them. Twitter is like using the internet to send your text messages to the entire planet. LOL

[[Go...]]

“Benzo Buddies vs Facebook benzo recovery forum”

 

^^^^^ … Benzobuddies always wins this ‘contest’…

[[An...]]

I agree! 

[[Et...]]

I actually just left the two groups I was in the other day after a post I made about Belsomra was taken down for using the name of the drug. I mean how the heck are you supposed to talk about something that nobody knows about if you have to refer to it as “B” or “Bel”? Nah, I’m good on those groups. The people in the group that promoted cannabis use during withdrawal was a lot more positive but still way too restrictive (can’t talk about anything except cannabis and it’s derivatives which is even more limiting for someone who can’t tolerate anything to do with cannabis).

 

I find it hard to believe that people on these Facebook groups actually get the tools they need to recover. The two I was a member of weren’t all that negative but they were still way too restrictive to be beneficial. I also got so sick of being told that water is better than propylene glycol and water to make a solution despite me throwing out tons of proof that benzos aren’t water soluble! “Well it worked for me, you’re wrong!” Argh! 😖

 

I always found this place to be very supportive and I would actually post here more if it was mobile friendly. I hate having to put my phone into WAP mode to be able to read the forum decently well and then have to put it back in regular desktop view to be able to do something as simple as quote someone. SMF themes exist for mobile devices and would definitely have me posting here more (using my desktop is just a pain, especially on bad days).

[[Ba...]]

I have always found THIS site hard to navigate... probably as I am impaired. But a friend even said they'd join to learn, and they couldn't figure things out.  Maybe it is not all me?  Dunno.

 

Yes, been on FB groups and have to say what was the largest one and boots people out for no reason at all (they told me you don't have to break their rules to be 'cancelled') is really nuts.  Met a few people who I liked, tho, prior to that.  Moderators, yes, insanely controlling and deliberately nasty. 

Got terrible advice there which was destructive and harmed me more, too.

 

From what I have seen in groups over years is there are some remaining damaged people, alas.

[[Ki...]]

I think I should join Gabapentin Facebook group. Benzo is not reason for my protracted journey.

[[Go...]]

I always found this place to be very supportive and I would actually post here more if it was mobile friendly. I hate having to put my phone into WAP mode to be able to read the forum decently well and then have to put it back in regular desktop view to be able to do something as simple as quote someone.

 

^^^^^ … Get an iPhone and use the safari browser.

 

It works perfectly well with the site here… 👍🏻

[[Go...]]

Yes, been on FB groups and have to say what was the largest one and boots people out for no reason at all (they told me you don't have to break their rules to be 'cancelled') is really nuts… Moderators, yes, insanely controlling and deliberately nasty. 

Got terrible advice there which was destructive and harmed me more, too.

 

^^^^^ … Was this the “Benzo Recovery” Facebook group by any chance?

[[Ba...]]

Yes it was.  You recognized it from my description?

[[Go...]]

Yes it was.  You recognized it from my description?

 

Oh yes, easily recognised now… ☺️

 

I used to run it (along with a few others) in the 2016 ‘Admin Team’ there, it was a ‘firm but fair’ support group back then (just like Benzobuddies is and always has been here) and the ‘Rules & Guidelines’ at the time absolutely reflected that.

 

Also… group members were most certainly not removed for not breaking any of the rules.

 

What a very odd thing for any ‘Admin Team’ to do.

 

It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that you feel so aggrieved about it all… sorry to hear that you were treated so disrespectfully.

 

Anyways, just to let you know, since 2016, the ‘Benzo Recovery’ group’s ‘Rules & Guidelines’ been completely re-written by others, and not very well in my opinion.

 

Seems things have gone downhill there quite a lot over recent years.

 

But hey-ho… nothing to do with me anymore, and hasn’t been for a long time… 🤷🏼‍♂️

[[30...]]

dear Got to beat this,

I have read your entire log and was wondering if you could help me think through some tough symptoms I am having......as it appears you went through many of them as well after your CT, your reinstatement and your post taper ----- mainly physical agitation/burning/terror/like living in a horror show/feeling of impending doom, etc ---- it leaves me feeling like how could an individual think such horrific things for so long and then they just go away ---- it feels like they are being burned into my psyche forever --

 

I have fear of everything and bizarre, vile images can pop up into my mind.  every evening I seem to get a bit of a reprieve and I am able to read, be a bit more relaxed, sleep okay then back up and it starts all over again

 

I am so glad you have come back after all of these years-- I try to come on and support others when I am feeling well enough but man today is just one of those torturous days ---- most days from like wake up until 8pm are frought with all of the symptoms I named above- -

you seem smart, kind, and you've been through hell and back -- if you have a moment to reply I would so appreaicat it or you are welcome to PM me