A Day of of Anti-Cowardice

I’m rebelling a little — just a little — from the Daily Post’s one word prompt, Cowardice. I’ve had muddled ideas, things I want to write about, even confess a little. None of them have any sort of thematic connector until I stupidly realized I could actually write about a couple of the things that have been there, right there, with the antithesis of the prompt in mind. Granted, it’s not much of a connector, but I’ll do my best to make it work.

1. I’m appalled by the notion of my countrymen being under siege…by each other. The genuinely peaceful protestors within the Black Lives Matter movement and the police who serve us… the ones who serve ALL of us, however, have my absolute admiration and respect. They are commendable people, here, in the midst of all of the insanity, the racism and resulting violence that has been happening in the U.S. (Image courtesy of the Associated Press)

2. Today is World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day.

Here’s why it’s been important for me… and ought to be important for everyone who has been or knows of a person who has been prescribed a benzodiazepine:

I am one week, 3 days completely benzo-free, off Lorazepam (and one month of Temazepam) use, having been through a carefully crafted tapering schedule courtesy of a fantastic MD internist. If I had followed a certain psychiatrist’s and a handful of ER doctors’ advice, I would’ve continued on a dangerous path, tethered to ever-increasing dosages of prescription anti-anxiety medication for the rest of my life.

Anyone who has been prescribed regular doses of a benzodiazepine and has tried to come off them, even slowly and SAFELY, can attest to the fact that withdrawal symptoms are absolute hell on earth (Quitting cold turkey is the worst of all). A friend recently asked me what it was like from my experience (others have had it far worse). I told her, “Think of the worst possible hangover you’ve ever had, one that comes and goes. Now add in flu-like symptoms, spurts of insomnia, muscle pain, rapid heart palpitations that pop up out of nowhere, with bouts of dizziness, disorientation, and sensitivity to noise, light, and color. That’s what I’m going through.”

I’ve blogged a bit more about it here: How to Experience Hell Without Really Trying

A documentary is in the works about this very issue…