I wanted to let you all know.

[[Buddie]]

  So, God knows how many years since I got off my last dose of Clonazepam. I remember suffering just as much as all of you. Having depression, anxiety, muscle pain, ocular problems, tingling, Phantosmia, migraines, vomiting, stomach problems, and the list could go on and on. I remember thinking that the protracted withdrawal symptoms would never end and that I would always be stuck in this dark hole that many of you are stuck in. I was obese, on welfare, had no friends, and was alone. It sucked.

 That, however, is no longer the case. It does fucking end, and it will end permanently as long as you stick to it and keep pushing forward. Slowly, piece by piece, things get better, and you will notice yourself achieving small victories but, you will also face setbacks; you cannot let those stop you. Do not give up and keep getting back up. Here are some achievements that I have had personally:

 * I am no longer obese; I was 300+ pounds at 6ft; I am now 179 pounds and shredded.
 * I have a Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and actively lift.
 * I am currently working towards becoming a Real Estate agent and have passed the Realtor exam while also having the owner of a Brokerage mentor me.
 * I have loads of friends now.
 * I am no longer on any medication aside from Propranolol at the lowest dose (that is for my ocular migraines that are caused by genetics, they stop them completely)


 
 This will and can be you! I don't know how many years have passed since I recovered, but I always wished to see a post like this show up in my darkest hour. A post that allows me to have a glimmer of hope. I am not lying; I am not trying to make up a story. I want you all to know that it does get better and will end, but you have to put the effort in even though it feels nearly impossible.

 Now, I have one issue that has lingered since getting off of Benzos: my shoulder pain. It isn't because the Benzos caused it, and I don't believe it is a protracted withdrawal. It is there because the Benzos covered it up. It is an issue that can be fixed, and I will fix it eventually.

 So, hopefully, this motivates some of you all. Life gets better. 

[[Buddie]]

Thank you! Gives me hope!

[[Buddie]]

Thanks  for sharing, how long you took to recover? Stay strong !!

[[Buddie]]

[...],
Thank you give me hope!

[[Buddie]]

Thanks  for sharing, how long you took to recover? Stay strong !!

 I was 24ish and am now 29, so it took quite a while (The protracted symptoms are a nightmare, I think Insomnia was the hands-down worst one). And there were times where I thought of taking bandage fixes like supplements, herbs, or whatever. But I just stuck to being natural and letting my body do its own thing. The supplementary stuff I would do, and I think this one is something everyone should try. Just go for a walk, it's a form of meditation, and it helped me the most to lose a lot of my weight. It got so addicting that I started walking for multiple hours outside in the park.

[[Buddie]]

Thank you for sharing your story [...], it means so much to those sitll suffering.  I hope you don't mind but I'm going to copy and paste the link to your story on the Protracted board, they need to hear about your success. 

[[Buddie]]

Well done [...] 

[[Buddie]]

Thanks  for sharing, how long you took to recover? Stay strong !!

 I was 24ish and am now 29, so it took quite a while (The protracted symptoms are a nightmare, I think Insomnia was the hands-down worst one). And there were times where I thought of taking bandage fixes like supplements, herbs, or whatever. But I just stuck to being natural and letting my body do its own thing. The supplementary stuff I would do, and I think this one is something everyone should try. Just go for a walk, it's a form of meditation, and it helped me the most to lose a lot of my weight. It got so addicting that I started walking for multiple hours outside in the park.

   congrats for your efforts !!Great achievments too, and again thanks for sharing ! Keep taking care !

[[Buddie]]

I'm protracted and really needed this today. Thank you for taking the time to write it.

If you don't mind, did you have a noticable turning-of-the-corner? Or was it just really slow with improvements here and there until you one day realized you were much better? I don't have real windows. I've had a few improvements this year, but some more difficult times as well. I keep plodding ahead and trying to stay hopeful, but days like today make it extra hard.

[[Buddie]]

Oss!!!