Being benzo free is ideal but not sure if possible (for myself)

[[Le...]]

11 hours ago, [[A...] said:

100% agree. There are many posts in other online forums where ppl have been on valium for over 40 years, have never become tolerant, function fine, and are perfectly happy staying on the drug. These ppl only become sick when some well-meaning doctor comes along and forces them to come off . 

There are 90 year old smokers too. There are also people on benzos so long they think the agoraphobia and many other things they are experiencing are all them and not a common side effect. There are also many people here confused in the same manner from a plethora of other drugs.  

There is risk either way and in the end if a person wants to try they should be encouraged, supported and the best cautious advice should be given. This is a person on the fence and being discouraged too much by people who have or think they have a medical condition that benefits by long term drug use. 

 

a quote for those so fond of them. 

Gabor Maté Quote: The attempt to escape from pain, is what creates more pain. 

 

" As soon as healing takes place, go out and heal somebody else." –Maya Angelou

Should be the BB motto. 

Edited June 7 by [Le...]

[[to...]]

7 hours ago, [[L...] said:

There are 90 year old smokers too. There are also people on benzos so long they think the agoraphobia and many other things they are experiencing are all them and not a common side effect. There are also many people here confused in the same manner from a plethora of other drugs.  

There is risk either way and in the end if a person wants to try they should be encouraged, supported and the best cautious advice should be given. This is a person on the fence and being discouraged too much by people who have or think they have a medical condition that benefits by long term drug use. 

a quote for those so fond of them. 

Gabor Maté Quote: The attempt to escape from pain, is what creates more pain. 

" As soon as healing takes place, go out and heal somebody else." –Maya Angelou

Should be the BB motto. 

The agoraphobia I'm experiencing is as a result of benzo use and/or withdrawal. 

The issue is that I see many people who end up in worse situations.  Who are completely non-functional to the point they are kicked out of their residence, and due to the process of withdrawal for over a decade after their last dose, continuously asking if they will 'ever get better', or who end up homeless, in jail, or dead by suicide instead of holding. 

This *doesn't* happen to the majority of people who withdraw.  But for people predisposed to those outcomes, they can make a choice to avoid them entirely, and that's the choice myself and some others made.

But again, most people who withdrawal will not experience situations where their entire livelihood is at risk.  Many don't even have PAWS.

I'm getting older, I spent my 20s in withdrawal and it was too risky to go further

Edited June 7 by [to...]

[[Le...]]

19 minutes ago, [[t...] said:

The agoraphobia I'm experiencing is as a result of benzo use and/or withdrawal.  The issue is that I see many people who are completely non-functional due to the process of withdrawal for over a decade, continuously asking if they will 'ever get better', or who end up homeless, in jail, or dead by suicide instead of holding. 

This *doesn't* happen to the majority of people who withdraw.  But for people predisposed to those outcomes, they can make a choice to avoid them entirely, and that's the choice myself and some others made.

But again, most people who withdrawal will not experience situations where their entire livelihood is at risk.  Many don't even have PAWS.

I had bad agoraphobia too. agora-everything really. I am in no way pushing you but if you choose to try then be cautious and dont be hard on yourself if you change you mind. The safest methods and best advice can be found here but not from me. I went through CT and am too lets call it energetic and enthusiastic to council someone well on the long process. There are many others though. 

I am 45. I lost 6 years between drugs and recovery. I hope to have 25 of health and healing. 

Edited June 7 by [Le...]

[[An...]]

5 hours ago, [[L...] said:

There are 90 year old smokers too. There are also people on benzos so long they think the agoraphobia and many other things they are experiencing are all them and not a common side effect. There are also many people here confused in the same manner from a plethora of other drugs.  

There is risk either way and in the end if a person wants to try they should be encouraged, supported and the best cautious advice should be given. This is a person on the fence and being discouraged too much by people who have or think they have a medical condition that benefits by long term drug use. 

a quote for those so fond of them. 

Gabor Maté Quote: The attempt to escape from pain, is what creates more pain. 

" As soon as healing takes place, go out and heal somebody else." –Maya Angelou

Should be the BB motto. 

I am all for supporting those who want to get off these drugs, but we must also refrain from beating up on ppl who choose to stay on these drugs after failing numerous detoxes. Most, but not all ppl, will be able to successfully detox these drugs and have an acceptable quality of life afterwards. I am all for being drug free, but what good is drug free if you are non-functional and still sick many years after stopping the drugs. No one can just wait on time forever to heal and do nothing but suffer in that interim.. That used to be the mantra of the old benzo w/d forums. You would frequently see ppl telling others who were many years drug free and suffering terribly to wait and that healing is just around the corner. In all honestly if you are still severely sick and getting worse and are non-functional many years after benzo detox, healing is in all likelihood not just around the corner, so should you continue waiting on time to heal you? This makes little to no sense to me.

We all have just a limited amount of time on the planet earth b/f we die, on benzos or other meds or benzo / other meds free. 

Edited June 7 by [An...]
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