World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day 2018 Podcast

https://www.madinamerica.com/2018/07/world-benzodiazepine-awareness-day-2018/

Thanks very much for this, MAB!!

Fantastic! Finally a doctor is on record saying that this needs to be looked at as a brain/CNS injury and not "withdrawal" if it persists for a certain amount of time. See- Part 1 starting at 42:00.

Such excellent podcasts!!! I'm blown away by how wonderful they are. Extremely informative, and having the podcast of Chris Paige is very important in that it puts the extreme difficulty of this journey in the spotlight.

Such excellent podcasts!!! I'm blown away by how wonderful they are. Extremely informative, and having the podcast of Chris Paige is very important in that it puts the extreme difficulty of this journey in the spotlight.

 

I agree completely, I am listening to the Chris Paige interview right now. I have to say that this one of the only people that I have heard speak that fully articulates what I have been through for the last 7 1/2 years.

The Robertw Whitaker Interview is spectacular as well. He tells the story of how benzos were "revitalized" with the marketing of xanax and how the studies cherrypicked and obscured data to hide the truth about it.

Whitaker also states that protracted "withdrawal" is indeed a neurological injury!

 

This is progress people! This is the first step in this condition being properly understood. When the people who have a big voice start calling it what it is you know we are on the right track

Thanks for this- I second the notion hat “injury” is better description for some and not “withdrawal,” particularly for those in protracted. This is not to say folks cant’t heal from injury/ damage - but the word “withdrawal” brings different associations with it (e.g short term symptoms, temporary, etc)

Yes, this is great progress, as far as we've ever come. I'm hoping for the momentum to continue and gather speed!

I am very pleased to read all the favourable comments here.  I look forward to listening to this when I'm up for it, maybe on the weekend.

 

Much appreciated you're posting all the W-BAD stuff MAB!

This is great! Thanks for posting it. I'm just listening now to Part 1 with the doctor.

The Robertw Whitaker Interview is spectacular as well. He tells the story of how benzos were "revitalized" with the marketing of xanax and how the studies cherrypicked and obscured data to hide the truth about it.

 

Yes, I'm hoping we can discuss not using the A word in the future with him.  He's so knowledgable.  I loved this podcast. So impressed with everyone.

First time here in years, I'm Chris Paige and was so out of my mind when this forum saved my life.  As you can see I am getting better and better with a long journey still ahead.  Thanks for the kind words and glad I was able to express something many of us have sadly experienced.

OMG, Chris Paige!!! You did an EXCELLENT talk. I'm so very happy that you were able to do it. It really brought home how very difficult this process is.

 

Were you going to move to Alaska at one time?

 

So glad to hear from you! I'd think about you every once in awhile and wonder what happened. Very glad that you're healing!! What a journey!!!

Yes, I'm hoping we can discuss not using the A word in the future with him.  He's so knowledgable.  I loved this podcast. So impressed with everyone.

 

I was going to bring this up but didn't want to kill the mood.

 

If you believe that this is a neurological injury it shouldn't be hard to connect the dots to see that this isn't addiction. I think people just get used to using certain words and if they don't have an "AHA!" moment or if they haven't been corrected by others they don't understand the dire importance of terminology.

First time here in years, I'm Chris Paige and was so out of my mind when this forum saved my life.  As you can see I am getting better and better with a long journey still ahead.  Thanks for the kind words and glad I was able to express something many of us have sadly experienced.

 

OMG  Chris I listened to you last night and cried as I listened to you speak. Cried for you and for all of us and the immense suffering and pain of recovering from this injury.  I had no idea this was you. You were absolutely amazing on the podcast and I’m so so happy to hear you’re recovering, I’ve thought of you often over the years. Much love to you. 

All of these interviews were wonderful! I'm just in the middle of the Robert Whitaker interview, and omigosh! It's quite scary to think of how everything rolled out over time.

 

And yes, Chris Paige's interview really touched me as well. Chris, if you're reading this, I'm so sorry for what you went through. You're extraordinarily strong! I'm so glad you've come out the other side. It's an amazing testament to your strength of soul and your will to live. Wow!

All of these interviews were wonderful! I'm just in the middle of the Robert Whitaker interview, and omigosh! It's quite scary to think of how everything rolled out over time.

 

And yes, Chris Paige's interview really touched me as well. Chris, if you're reading this, I'm so sorry for what you went through. You're extraordinarily strong! I'm so glad you've come out the other side. It's an amazing testament to your strength of soul and your will to live. Wow!

 

Chris is a testament of healing.  I've been fortunate to know him both sick and well and I think his story shows exactly what the problem is.  His fate could have been ending up a poly drugged incoherent person with severe aka for life, but he was able to recognize and heal, due to the right knowledge, that he never would have gotten from a prescriber.  It's terrifying to think of where he would be if he didn't do that.  I may listen to his interview again today.  So proud of you Chris!!  I tell him now (but never would have then) that I didn't think he would make it, I just couldn't see how one could even undo that level of mess in their life.  And he has and that's amazing. 

This is good stuff. Listened to it all. I was most impressed by Chris Paige.

W-bad.org and the benzo information coalition are doing some wonderful things to expose the truth and educate the public about the dangers of these drugs.

All of these interviews were wonderful! I'm just in the middle of the Robert Whitaker interview, and omigosh! It's quite scary to think of how everything rolled out over time.

 

And yes, Chris Paige's interview really touched me as well. Chris, if you're reading this, I'm so sorry for what you went through. You're extraordinarily strong! I'm so glad you've come out the other side. It's an amazing testament to your strength of soul and your will to live. Wow!

 

Chris is a testament of healing.  I've been fortunate to know him both sick and well and I think his story shows exactly what the problem is.  His fate could have been ending up a poly drugged incoherent person with severe aka for life, but he was able to recognize and heal, due to the right knowledge, that he never would have gotten from a prescriber.  It's terrifying to think of where he would be if he didn't do that.  I may listen to his interview again today.  So proud of you Chris!!  I tell him now (but never would have then) that I didn't think he would make it, I just couldn't see how one could even undo that level of mess in their life.  And he has and that's amazing.

 

It was such a powerful story that I had to stop it and take a few breaks. The fact that he overcame all that he did can give others hope and remind us of our own resilience.

This is good stuff. Listened to it all. I was most impressed by Chris Paige.

W-bad.org and the benzo information coalition are doing some wonderful things to expose the truth and educate the public about the dangers of these drugs.

 

Thank you!

 

 

 

It was such a powerful story that I had to stop it and take a few breaks. The fact that he overcame all that he did can give others hope and remind us of our own resilience.

 

I'm so impressed with him.

Thanks for all of the kind comments.  I was so insane and the daily recipient of suicide warnings on this site, lol.  I still have some healing and two more drugs to taper but I am working again and socializing.  Life is worth living again. 

Yes, I'm hoping we can discuss not using the A word in the future with him.  He's so knowledgable.  I loved this podcast. So impressed with everyone.

 

I was going to bring this up but didn't want to kill the mood.

 

If you believe that this is a neurological injury it shouldn't be hard to connect the dots to see that this isn't addiction. I think people just get used to using certain words and if they don't have an "AHA!" moment or if they haven't been corrected by others they don't understand the dire importance of terminology.

 

Amen to that. Feels to me from the way Whitaker talks about it is that, in spite of his knowledge, he still treats it as an A issue in some way. I am too broke to buy his book (would like to in the future), but did he get into it in his book? Did he mention anything about withdrawal from benzos and/or need to taper and/or neurological deficits? He seems so heavily researched on AD's and AP's, and I am impressed by that. Really am.

I, too, am quite uncomfortable with the use of the word "addiction". It's too bad that he used that word, when, at the same time, he was explaining how the meds change the way one's own neurotransmitters work. Would you use the word "addiction" to describe what happens when someone takes Prednisone or certain other medications? No. It would be "physiological dependence" or something akin to that.

 

In any case, he's very well-spoken and extremely knowledgeable with regards to the dynamics of the marketing, the DSM, pharmaceutical company activities, etc. I haven't read his book, but I've certainly seen a number of videos in which he was a participating lecturer. Very good every time.

I'm finally ready and looking forward to listening to the Podcast today! 

 

I've sent this W-BAD Podcast along with MAB's BIC article, 10 Things Uninformed Benzodiazepine Prescribers Do:  http://benzoinfo.com/2018/06/23/10-things-uninformed-benzodiazepine-prescribers/ to Dr. Brian Goldman, Dr. R. Balon (Benzodiazepine Taskforce) and 200 local psychiatrists so far, with another 400 to go.  Anger and a window lights a fire beneath me.

 

Also sent to all local and national news agencies. 

 

Why are there so many psychiatrists in one province in Canada?  I should add, that's not even all of them.  Those are just the ones associated with the big university here.