So, what if you get to the other side and....... Please respond!

Days of questions have led me to kinda ask You, this question before.  But honestly it didn't get a lot of response and has long dropped from view on the list.

 

Most of us tell the story of our history of how we got here.  Be it the hope of a temporary relief of symptoms due to life's events, or a doctor's jump to put us on a med, or maybe a lifetime of our issues that led to needing relief just to cope with the world, often, as in my case, self medicating with Pot or Alcohol or.....

 

I'm, as some of you may know, am tapering from Klonopin. In my heart of hearts, I believe benzos mess with our brains and body at large.  I got scared reading the stories of folks who struggled or continue to struggle for months, years, etc.  So I now work to balance those with stories of people who have had great success and relief in tapering off of these chemicals.

 

But, what has me in a period of questioning, doubt and wonder is just this.  What if you get to the other side, free from the drugs and find the issue of anxiety, fear, depression, etc.  are back in your life and diminishing any quality of peace you might hope for.  Then what?

 

I'd REALLY like to hear everyone's thoughts.  The good, the bad and the ugly!  Don't worry, please share your real thoughts and experiences, all are welcome.  I'm guessing there may be other folks out there like me asking themselves the same question.

 

I thank you in advance.  I hope this thread doesn't just fade away.  Peace!

I don't have all the answers but I think one of the most important things we can do during withdrawal is learn and regularly practice new ways of coping with the anxiety, insomnia, or whatever it is that brought us to benzos in the first place.  For many of us this involves working with a therapist to dig deep,

develop techniques that work for you, perhaps based in CBT or DBT,  and practicing these techniques until they become a familiar, established part of your life. 

I agree with Brighterday, when recovered and finding out the original issues are still there then it's time to find other tools for peace, the quick fix with the serious and lengthy repercussions has been eliminated.

 

I'd like to propose another scenario, what if after knowing the horrors of benzo withdrawal, the anxiety on steroids, the endless torment of the symptoms and the months of sleeplessness, what if your original issues pale in comparison to what you've just endured and you find that life is much more manageable now? This is what I've seen time and time again while reading success stories.

I agree with Brighterday, when recovered and finding out the original issues are still there then it's time to find other tools for peace, the quick fix with the serious and lengthy repercussions has been eliminated.

 

I'd like to propose another scenario, what if after knowing the horrors of benzo withdrawal, the anxiety on steroids, the endless torment of the symptoms and the months of sleeplessness, what if your original issues pale in comparison to what you've just endured and you find that life is much more manageable now? This is what I've seen time and time again while reading success stories.

 

Brighterday, thank you.

 

Pamster, your "another scenario", is very interesting and rings true.  Adding it to my list of knowledge. Thank you.

 

Eager to hear more!

@[on...]

 

@Brighterday and Pamster, great and encouraging feedback. Thanks

I agree with Pamster. The challenge of tapering and WD pales in comparison to any stressors life can throw at us. I've learned coping skills that can help me with any obstacle. I feel less anxious now than I've ever felt. I don't know if something happened to me physiologically or if my mind is just more able to cope but I'm looking forward to the best days of my life and you can too.

Tapering and withdrawal have been brutal, and I have not suffered as much as many.  When I think of the stressors I took the benzos for in the first place, I wish I had left well enough alone.  That was totally manageable and I could have figured out better ways then.  But that's okay.  I did my best.  I do my best.  I learned a lot about how to manage anxiety through all this.  I believe that it will be much easier to cope in the future.

I agree with everyone hear. It seems like before I never knew ways to cope with my anxiety I tried everything. I feel like between the agony the agony of tapering , the new coping skills and losing ourselves for so long that once we feel like us again we will be so happy and see the world in a whole new way  and will appreciate things so much more than before. Sorry I can't write today! Ahaaa

I wish I knew the strategies I know now then, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I think coming thru this will make everything seem so trivial

In some ways I feel that I can handle anything now. In other ways, I feel like my original issues are worse than ever, at times. These are just feelings though. The truth is we do heal, one day at a time. We can’t predict the future but I agree with people that this process teaches us to learn how to take care of ourselves through anything difficult. I recently was in a wave and fell off of that and just got right back to it. Those pathways for self care are so deeply ingrained now, it’s easier to choose them every time. I suffer with non benzo related (but benzo exacerbated) mental illness and I’ve found that my daily routine is everything. When I can’t at least follow a simple structured routine of basic care, my mental health falls apart. Benzo taper and healing has taught me how to get up and get to that no matter how horrible I feel or how bad life gets. Thanks for the question.

Wow everyone, the comments have been really both helpful and insightful.  I'm glad I asked!

 

Hope to hear more, from others and think folks appreciate hearing as well!