I WANT TO START BENZO WITHDRAWAL SUPPORT GROUP IN ST LOUIS MO WHO IS INTERESTED?

I went to a stress outpatient program for 12 weeks locally and it was very expensive, even with insurance and it had groups from every problem under the Sun except for Benzo Withdrawal. I saw the new people praising Xanax, K, for saving their lives from panic disorder. They wanted CBT and different ways of dealing with stress, anxiety, and sleep. Nothing was addressed about withdrawal and this is a behavior hospital and I do not see them wanting people to not need their facility in the future. Patients were chasing their tails because the doctor treating them was the one who gave them the problem. Come in one door for the problem and go through another for a problem with the problems cure. It seemed cruel because they got me coming and going. So right minded people who deal and have dealt with this withdrawal would be cheaper and more informative and not in a setting that makes money off the addiction revolving doors in most cases. So I AM WANTING TO START OR FIND A BENZO WITHDRAWAL GROUP IN ST LOUIS. I AM SURE i AM NOT THE ONLY ONE HERE IN THIS LARGE CITY WITH WITHDRAWAL. I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER TO ASK ON CRAIGSLIST OR POST IN AN OUT PATIENT TREATMENT CENTER BUT I FEEL THE NEED FOR SOMEONE WITH COMMON SYMPTOMS. Sorry for the caps I got carried away. I think if I have a real live group with access to the Ashton Manual and stories successful and informative would be great either once a week or every other week. i need advise on getting folks to come and share their stories and find out new ways and meet folks who have this in common. please let me know i can get the space and have the time. it may not be perfect at first but at least it will exists. Thanks in advance.

I went to a stress outpatient program for 12 weeks locally and it was very expensive, even with insurance and it had groups from every problem under the Sun except for Benzo Withdrawal. I saw the new people praising Xanax, K, for saving their lives from panic disorder. They wanted CBT and different ways of dealing with stress, anxiety, and sleep. Nothing was addressed about withdrawal and this is a behavior hospital and I do not see them wanting people to not need their facility in the future. Patients were chasing their tails because the doctor treating them was the one who gave them the problem. Come in one door for the problem and go through another for a problem with the problems cure. It seemed cruel because they got me coming and going. So right minded people who deal and have dealt with this withdrawal would be cheaper and more informative and not in a setting that makes money off the addiction revolving doors in most cases. So I AM WANTING TO START OR FIND A BENZO WITHDRAWAL GROUP IN ST LOUIS. I AM SURE i AM NOT THE ONLY ONE HERE IN THIS LARGE CITY WITH WITHDRAWAL. I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER TO ASK ON CRAIGSLIST OR POST IN AN OUT PATIENT TREATMENT CENTER BUT I FEEL THE NEED FOR SOMEONE WITH COMMON SYMPTOMS. Sorry for the caps I got carried away. I think if I have a real live group with access to the Ashton Manual and stories successful and informative would be great either once a week or every other week. i need advise on getting folks to come and share their stories and find out new ways and meet folks who have this in common. please let me know i can get the space and have the time. it may not be perfect at first but at least it will exists. Thanks in advance.

 

Hi,

 

This forum is based on member anonymity so in general, this kind of thing is definitely against our rules, because members' anonymity would be compromised.  And, in order to promote such a group on this forum, you'd have to get the express permission of Colin, our founder, and would have to hold the meeting in a public place that could be verified.  This isn't an easy thing to prove to our satisfaction.

 

So, we recommend that members use THIS forum for support, since it is the only forum of its kind online at present.  It's an excellent resource, and it's anonymous.

 

I am grateful for this resource and I understand the need for animony . It comes off that social stigma we have the US of mental illness and is a shame that we do not pour as much funding into this research. A group in my City is greatly needed but the Dr puts the willingness and the work on the patient. I can post locally or on craiglist and do my best to get something started. This site is very necessary because without it we would feel totally alone in this struggle. I do undestands. thanks

Hi stlsrms,

 

It is not so much a case of preserving anonymity/privacy as it is about safety.

 

To clarify the situation, the forum and the wider benzodiazepine withdrawal support community, have suffered serious misrepresentations, stalking behaviour and abuse from an unhinged individual who spends his entire life running hate blogs (he was banned from BB and all similar support groups many years ago, and from many other forums too). He cannot let go. For this reason, we only allow the advertising of such real-world meetings if can verify that it is run under the auspices of a trustworthy organisation. Some people have set up such groups through a church or even in hospital settings. In those kind of situations, where we can independently verify those overseeing the meeting, we will of course allow advertising of the group through BB. If it is just some random advert at Graig's List or similar - for obvious reasons in the circumstances - we cannot allow promotion of the group at BB.

Coin I had seen the still in the making "As Prescribed"documentary and I noticed that it was on the east coast and the person who organized the group did use a hospital or outpatient setting and placed it on the board with a return address. We do have the facility where I went for stress close and groups are open. However they are also for profit institutions. I believe starting there and allowing with permission from the medical center to hang to fl yer would be supportive and OK by the centers staff. Interested parties could then contact me or someone similar and we would probably have to meet off site because it is a for profit institution. The problem with the facility and other like it is that Ben's withdrawal basically according to staff there does not exist. They also treat alcohol addition with benzos which i thought was trading one bad addiction for another and it seems to be common practice which makes the facility pro-benzo and thus a bit absent minded. If someone does get treated for a benzo addiction they only get 28 days and they ususally come out as we know still addicted. It is a shame we do not have facilities just for realistic benzo withdrawal and it's many side effects as this site. Thanks I do understand. Colin and it makes very good sense considering I worked in a hospital and helped with patients. Support groups would be welcome I am sure and there are many who do not know of this site. I will have to think of a way to gain interest,keep animity, but still provide a service to such a large community. There may be an NA or AA or combo support group who has a population which are going through benzo as well. I will attend a few they are free and the facility does allow them to meet at no charge. Thanks Colin. et el.

Hi.

 

So long as you can set up a meeting which is overseen or facilitated by some trusted group in some way, you can publish the details at BB. You would need to do this publicly - not through the PM system. This way we will know what details are being provided to members. Yes, there have been false misrepresentations through the PM system in the past. There was one member who provided me the details of a bonafide counsellor to me privately, which, of course, checked out. I ask her to post the details to the forum. Instead, she used my 'approval' to then contact members privately to promote her own 'services'. This person was a registered social worker, but unqualified to provide this kind of counselling (and certainly after her unethical actions of usurping the credentials of another counsellor).

 

Anyway, so you see, there are very good reasons for why we do what we do. I know that you understand - I just like to provide members of the full reasons for our policies in this matter.

There is a BA (benzos anonymous) but not as many meetings as NA, HA, AA, etc. Starting meetings is as easy as getting the word out. I started an AA group in Phoenix when I lived there years ago with help from my sponsor, by buying some extra big books of AA, getting the chips and pamphlets etc. Going to other meeting and announcing our new meeting. You will definitely find recovering benzo addicts in Narcotics Anonymous. You might have better luck starting a BA meeting by finding other recovering benzo addicts in NA than finding people here.