There’s really nothing one can say about the withdrawal that can describe it. It feels like you’re going insane, and then a seizure and you wake up in a hospital.

12 + years Xanax free after 2mg for sleep for 10+ years ✊Xanax is very dangerous without proper care. My Sister died from Xanax seizures.. Keep on keeping on ✊😇

For any of you that think your long term benzo use is not a problem, try going without them.

In 2017, I was completely brought to my knees by the onset of really severe anxiety disorder. I was eventually diagnosed with PTSD. I have never been a frequent or heavy user of benzos, but I'm tremendously grateful that they exist. Thanks for making this to reintroduce some nuance. It's too easy for people to forget that mental illness can be, and often is fatal. It's sometimes justified to use higher risk drugs. Being given PRN benzodiazepines was not some kind beginning of an inexorable decline into drug addiction....it made me comfortable enough to keep living.

Thank you for this! Been using a long long time for anxiety. Knowing others have been through this is super important. New sub.

I have been on benzodiazapines since my daughter was 18 months(she is now 36 years old). I wish that I had been put on meditation instead instead of medication.Two years ago, I began tapering off Xanax.I didn't realize I was tapering, I just knew that I felt more anxiety when I took it. I was having stroke-high blood pressure events which took me to the emergency room in an ambulance, 30 times in two years. My sodium levels were crashing a lot.This past summer, I had a seizure that the ambulance workers thought was a stroke. My bp was going into the 200's. I honestly can't understand how I have survived for the past two years. I had horrible withdrawal symptoms that felt like MS and so I was tested for that. Yes, numbness, sharp shooting pains(especially in my feet), feelings of depersonalization and derealization, restless legs, extreme nausea, feeling like my eyes are not focusing properly, feeling like I am on a rocking boat, crying spells, rebound panic attacks are only some of the symptoms I have been having for a few years now. I strongly advise that people also check out jenniferswanphd on you tube, because she is a doctor, who is also going off of benzos and understand and explains the hell that it is to do so, much better than I can. The symptoms are horrific and varied from withdrawal.I think that my doctors were irresponsible in allowing me to have these drugs from my twenties into my sixties.We now know that more than 2 weeks on them is dangerous. I have no memory of much of my life or raising my children. Benzos erase your memory and can even cause Alzheimers. I would not ever take another one, even for a horrible panic attack. I listen to Michael Seeley hynosis on you tube, or meditation music and it goes away if I don't add fear into the bodily sensations. Maybe taking one a few times a year could help, but I think we should learn to deal with our anxiety, grief, etc. That is what I am doing now and it is so empowering.

Withdrawal from benzo was HELL ON EARTH. You simply cannot describe it.

It took me about 3 years of literal HELL ON EARTH to finally recover from short term benzo use. The symptoms were horrific and nonstop.

Coming from a northern country, I can vouch to the seasons having effect on psyche. To some people it can be quite extreme.

Cold turkey after 30 years of Xanax, it was horrible, couldn't walk for weeks, so many issues, worse time of my life, I finally feel normal after 5 years of being sober.

Quite curious about your thoughts on conversion disorder . Ive been researching it and came across your channel. Love your work! Salud 💛, from ☀️California, USA

It’s hard to hear ppl who don’t know the ins and outs about meditation and medication treatments talk like Joe does. Millions of people listen to his show and take what he says to heart. I appreciate what he’s trying to do by bringing topics to light and he is funny 😆 but I cringe sometimes because psychiatrist’s have to deal with the misinformation that prevent trust from the public. Thank you for clearing up a lot of this interview. Jordan Peterson is a brilliant guy but has a kit of problems. ❤

I really appreciate how open you are about benzos and how realistic your approach is too. I have PTSD and I’m so grateful that my psychiatrist is open to them being used as needed. He gave me guidelines for how many are reasonable to use per week (a specified number for good weeks and a slightly higher number for bad weeks), but with the long term goal being that I won’t need them at all. The psychiatrist makes sure I’m still seeing my clinical psychologist every other week, and I mark on my calendar which days I use benzos on to keep track of it (and so my psychiatrist and clinical psychologist can check the amounts too). I feel like other doctors I’ve seen think of benzos as them just making you feel really good etc, but for me it means that I don’t end up in a freeze response for hours at a time. They don’t make me feel good; they keep me from losing literal hours of my day stuck in frozen terror. They keep me functional - for now at least, because one day I won’t need them to be functional 🤞🏻 They’ve honestly made my life so much better, and all it took was a psychiatrist who was willing to give me a chance to prove that I could be trusted to use them responsibly. As a side note: this is all in conjunction with an evolving medication regime outside of just the benzos, but this comment is long enough without going into all of that too 😅 In any case, thank you for making videos about different medications - they’re really interesting and your thoughts and opinions are always refreshing 🤗😇✨

I fully support Joe and Jordan being so critical and saying these things are dangerous and are handed out dangerously like tic tacs. I honestly think it is safer to just drink if you’re having such anxiety you haven’t slept in days. It is SO easy to just start taking these regularly and become dependent on them because you think that it is safe because the doctor prescribes it to you. These are PILL VERSION OF ALCOHOL except it’s even easier to become dependent on them because you’re a bit more functional. But the withdrawals are EVEN WORSE and can last a year or more! Only in the most extreme cases cases and for short periods of time should these be taken. Be careful!

Find your Monday medication videos helpful. Appreciate it. I'd be interested in topic on prescription stimulants in general or for performance enhancement purpose.

@DrSyl - I've seen people go into a psychotic state for up to a year after quitting benzos. I myself experienced it. I cannot go into hospital because I have animals to care for, so as things are now, I cannot quit benzodiazepins. I'd like to learn more about that and how to prevent the mind from going into such an extreme state.

He is wrong. These drugs have been in use, and all of this has been known, for 50-60+ years! Look it up.

I have have, and it still have that symptom of some numbing of the hands the pain, but not as severe, but it does go numb at times

Canadian here. First time I went into the doctor for a panic attack, they offered me Ativan. Within 5 minutes. About the time it would take for me to get a tic tac. I managed to say no. Glad.

If you need ideas for more videos, I'd be super grateful for some on Autism. Specifically 'non-verbal'. Thank you so much for all your videos you make Dr Syl. You are thorough with your analysis and I learn so much from the information you share.

Lost 17 years to Xanax living as a zombie. I honestly missed out on a normal life with my family. My kids missed out on having a real parent. stay away from benzos!

For me, the shocking thing was to realize how how often Xanax is used for long term treatment in the US. I talked to a doctor here in Austria about it a couple of years ago and she said clearly, that in most cases she would put people with Anxiety disorder or regular panic attacks on SSRIs and only prescribe Xanax for 4 -5 weeks max until the SSRIs start kicking in fully because of the high risk of addiction to Xanax compared to SSRIs.

As a fellow benzo survivor, I'm very sure his experience with them have played a large role in formulating this advice. It's a hell that permanently changes you, even after recovery.

Have you ever taken benzo's? How can you say they don't cause pain?! I'm withdrawing off benzo's and I'm in agony some days all over (it's not anxiety!!!)

Hi! You said that in some countries there is not enough sun in winter and this increases the depressive state. Tell me, in your opinion, do I need to take melatonin or vitamin D as a preventive measure in winter?

you live in a perfect world and sound like a robot giving the perfect answer about addiction millions are

I’m not sure what the success rate and the complications is for someone who has taken Xanax 2mg for 35 years is. I can tell you that I started having panic attacks at 11 years old and my mom had panic attacks and she feared that I was going through the same thing. My parents took me to a Psychiatrist and I was prescribed Xanax and it was okayed by my pediatrician also. I don’t believe anyone knew just how dangerous this medication was at that time and I was told to take it when I would have a panic attack. I never wanted to take the medication so I would get books and any information (before the internet) I could find to learn about anxiety disorders and how to get them to stop 🛑.That was my goal since day one and I can honestly tell you that I personally knew more about panic attack’s and meditations and what breathing techniques people could do and how to taper off properly and safely than the resident Psychiatrist and medical staff in my area did,most of the terms I explained to them different ways and schedules to properly especially when patients are being tapper off because off,most doctors don’t know how dangerous it is especially for long term patients who have been taking the medication for so long. Five years ago My mother suffered a severe stroke and multiple seizures because her doctor wasn’t comfortable prescribing just that medication to her anymore, and told her good luck finding a psychiatrist to prescribe it,I found her on her bedroom floor with a broken shattered shoulder and broken leg,unconscious since the night before. I can’t imagine the fear and panic she felt she is alive and just a few months ago got her shoulder replaced finally.After the death of my grandparents and brother I decided that I was not going to have Xanax controlling my life anymore and believe me it controlled my life completely. I tapered myself down it was hell that I put myself through for a year but I noticed that I was replacing that extra dose with alcohol to get my anxiety down, so now I’m fighting 2 things now. On this day July 11,2021 I made a plan to give myself 30 days to get off alcohol because I would need the Xanax for those withdrawals and then August 11 2021 was the last day I ever took a Xanax again.The anxiety and withdrawal symptoms don’t ever go away and I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel or what I’m supposed to be experiencing because I’ve had Xanax running in my body longer than not having it. It wasn’t hard to get off of it,it is the relearning how to do things that are normally easy every day for everyone like writing,speaking,reading that has been the hardest thing for me. Everyone is different and I truly believe that we know our bodies the best,I personally know what makes me anxious and panic so going to a rehab was something that would not benefit me and would be worse, I was very grateful to find a psychiatrist that would agree to just help me with any issues that might arise and look over my plan and offer help if needed with my detox plan, I think that patients need to have more of a voice in their treatment plans and the medication that they are being prescribed,if doctors are prescribing medication that are chemically changing their brain activity a they should be aware of the risks associated with it and the options for a alternative natural treatment. I hope that this will give anyone out there that thinks it is impossible and the most terrifying thing to get off of Xanax some hope and inspiration ❤

Even with a taper it is life ruining. I don't understand why they put poor alcoholics on benzos, they are insanely more potent than alcohol.

Thank you for such an informative information. I am reducing the dose as instructed and it’s very painful but this video eased it even for a few minutes. Edit: Oh, Peterson was taking clonazepam btw.

Benzos can be very dangerous but also could be the only thing that controls people’s seizures. When no other medication can. You also try to take the lowest dose and longest half life and slowest onset of action so less “addicting/habit forming”. Though they still can be. Banning them is ludacris as some conditions can only be treated by them such as certain types of seizures.

Yea I was prescribed Benzodiazepine when I was disassociating at work. I was to take half when needed. Eventually I just didn't take them... Even though I may have needed them... But didn't want to go back to doctor.

coming to this one after watching the girl who shared her manic episode. in America it is very hard to get help. you have to see the doctor enough times for them to believe that you are a danger to yourself, and instead of referring you to a psychiatrist or therapist, it's "here's some celexa" or two years prior "here's zoloft" they are just throwing darts in the dark. meanwhile, you could have PTSD from an abusive relationship or bipolar disorder that isn't helped by commonly prescribed SSRI's. i was diagnosed with manic depressive disorder at 15, when I was baker acted (florida Highschool). earlier this year, i was diagnosed with Persistant Depressive Disorder. so which one is it? are doctors just going to keep prescribing me different medications until it works, or to find out that it actually doesn't? All i want is to find help so I don't waste another decade.

Please do some videos on Bipolar Disorder. People so often think that I must be dangerous or psychotic because I take an antipsychotic (Seroquel) as a mood stabilizer. Can you also address "mixed" episodes? They are poorly understood, at least by many people. Thanks!

Doctors DO NOT HAND IT OUT LIKE TIC TACS in my experience. Ever.

Also antidepressants give protracted after acute WD. Now in my 42 month. Almost better after terrible years..

That was a good one. It would be nice if you can do other talk shows related to mental health.

You're a beautiful soul. ❤🍂

Xanax withdrawal is pure hell that plain and simple and unless you’ve gone through it you’ll never know I wish it upon nobody. I still suffer 10 years from the withdrawal.

Im having rebound anxiety tapering off diazepam 2 months, i started to taper because i was having tolerance withdrawal even after 2 months

I am having a difficult time hearing this. I certainly hope he fully recovers.

My daughter was kidnapped and raped a few years ago let alone almost dying in a automobile accident. I think ill be on klonopin forever

I’m finally getting off my prescription at Price Roman which was prescribed to me over 30 years ago I’m down to 1 mg / 0 mg. Trying to fix what am I to use the first year was the Rangers I saw Everest specialist in Nashville for something that was unbearable. Typos not gonna fix it over in domino pains, muscle pain joint pains syringes horrendous. Yeah a lot of typos I’m dictating… 0 mg by April 2023… still experiencing withdrawal

I have also had the terrible pain in my hands. I found that actively managing my Diabetes reduced the occurrence.

Iv'e always said barbiturates were even worse than benzodiazepines due to them being lethal at low doses (theraputic index) and work on GABA aswell but fortunately we rarely see these these days, if at all.

When you're left to figure it out all alone and then get severely kindled by general anesthetic from a septorhinoplasty surgery that very nearly took my life and at the time wish it did. The complications of finding people on a diazepam prescription so I could find my tolerance then start tapering. Like trying to land a Boeing 747 without any knowledge and being blind. How the hell I figured it out is nothing short of a miracle

Sorry about the typos in my comment below. I should be asleep. I cannot edit from the device I’m on for some reason. I replied to my comment (just below) in case anyone actually wonders what I was attempting to say and cannot edit it in your head without any effort at all. Cheers.

@0 years ago I went through a very traumatic time that lasted a year. I was hospitalizwed and put on effexor, loxapine and ativan. I was told I had schizophenia but in later years was diagnosed with depression with psychosis when I get severely depressed. A year ago I came off effexor and loxapine because I developed Tardive Dyskinesia. I stayed on 2 mg of Ativan. The Ativan doesnt work any more and I will come off it as well. I feel better than I have in years. I am happier, smarter, emotionally stable and more active. i dont know why I stayed on those meds so long. Now I am dealing with minor TD in mouth and getting treated by naturopath and accupuncturist.

I’m 33, been on Xanax or Valium for about 2 years. Every time I’ve tried to come off I’ve decided life’s not worth living. I get so depressed mentally. So the positives of Xanax for Me ( like happy mood, sociable, calm, not overthinking, good sleep etc made me stay on them. I’m on between 4-6mg a day now. I went to rehab, tapered off Valium and lasted 30 days clean. The worst 30 days of my life even exercising 1hr everyday , eating healthy. With the withdrawals. I didn’t sleep for about 5 days. Zero sleep. Anxiety through the roof, brain fog. Could barely hold a social Conversation, loss of desire for enjoyable things, impending doom etc. I’m gonna start another taper now and this time get an SSRI and cbd oil ( I normally just go straight onto Valium and taper the vals) and just cut the Xanax. wish me luck!

Great reaction buddy. He's gone into a bit more detail in other interviews about how they did try and taper him down, but that he had an inverse reaction that led to akathisia for a few months. Do you know how common akathisia is? Is that something you could elaborate on in another video? Cheers.

Joe Rogan is the best. Love him he’s so funny. 🤍love Jordan too.

Yes it does cause numbing in the hands and a cold numbing sensation

1:50 that music in the background was freaky

Its tolerance withdrawal. Med becomes parodoxal as well.

I specifically said no habit forming stuff ever!! I got dependent on 5 days. I just wanted therapy but I regret I even found it. I needed sick leave for cortisone withdrawal. I wanted to quit for a while and take some time. I was not supported.

As crazy as this sounds, smoking cigarettes while withdrawing will help you feel normal. The nicotine competetively agonizes the NMDA receptor, and prevents glutamine (because benzo withdrawal is essentially glutamine excitotoxicity) from binding to the NMDA receptor. Also if you can get a psychiatrist to prescribe it, memantine is an alosteric modulator of the NMDA receptor and will similarly prevent glutamine from binding to NMDA receptor sites.

Psychiatrists may not hand it out like tic tacs but GP’s were here in the states for a long time because that’s how I got it. Xanax caused me to black out and drive a car! I didn’t hurt anyone but the fact that I could have devastated me and I never touched them again. Scary stuff

i got benzo belly, was taken off 3mg xanax per day put on klonopin, now what do i do?

INFORMED CONSENT is almost always missing and they’re over prescribed and prescribed for years and even decades when it should never be taken regularly for longer than 2 weeks. This stuff can destroy your brain and result in an anxiety like you cannot imagine and it’s inescapable for months or years. Doctors have ZERO idea. Muscle cramping, twitching, tightness. Heart palpitations. Blood sugar issues. Confusion. Extreme memory loss. Doctors prescribe it for insomnia; muscle cramps etc. Doctors really have no idea how horrific it can be. It’s NOT addiction. Your vocabulary clearly shies your ignorance. Physical dependence is nit addiction. For 50+ years this poison has destroyed lives. It’s nit new information. It creates lifelong customers who are broken and destroyed. Perfect business plan

I would add that it takes ad little as few days (one single week) to get dependent on benzos and it happened to my dad. It’s extremely dangerous!!!!!

Rogan is not wrong there- many doctors have historically handed it out like candy. I've only ever taken prescribed benzos in my life, and I've been on them for almost 20 years. Now with the new laws in the US, I'm terrified that a new psychiatrist I'll be seeing soon might try to take me off. It's too late for me, I have a heart condition and I don't think I'd live through even a taper given how I badly had reacted to taper attempts in the past. Maybe Australia is different, but in the US they certainly have been as available as tic tacs until Covid.

Kind of ironic that withdrawal can cause seizures yet i am prescribed Klonopin for my epilepsy. Plus they gave my wife Ativan to prevent her from going into status epilepticus. However, it is extremely helpful when my regular anti convulsants arent doing their job for a day or two

YES SIR

There is no way to accurately explain Benzo withdrawal to somebody who hasn’t been there. It’s like dying and going into the depths of hell. Nobody should be allowed to take them any longer than a week or two, if that! Im still in a state of what feels like a psychosis from the withdrawal. Severe sensory and tactile distortion. Dissociation to the point of daily amnesia - no sense of time, days, months or year. It’s just semantics but means nothing. You can’t focus on anything, you become completely emotionally detached from the world. Your family and friends become strangers, the world becomes terrifying. Constant sensory overload. Proprioception and interception issues, anhedonia, ME symptoms, severe screaming tinnitus, skin feels like constant sunburn. Loss of indentity, constant flashbacks of things bad things from your life for no reason, even flashbacks of bad dreams whilst awake. And on and on. I’m trying every hour to stay alive. Don’t take them

Been on Klonopin for over 15 yrs. Everytime they try and taper I have an acute cardiac issue- heart attack even with lowering by 0.25mg or less

I have been using .25 to .5 milligrams of Xanax or Valium for about a year now on an off, should I would worried about Xanax withdrawl? I have bad anxiety where I get really dizzy and lightheaded and can’t focus. When i take the benzo it calms all this down but now im getting anxiety thinking ill have crazy with drawls if I try to come off,

Benzos have been around over 50 years. Pretty sure my grandma was hooked on them back in the 70s-80s.

I was on Valium for 20 years on a dose of 10-100mg over that period, the last 10 years I was on 30mg per day due to a complete fuck-knuckle of a Psychiatrist who got me so used to the drug that I needed such a high dose of it for it to be effective. It was hell to come off of, I found coming off 200mg of Morphine Cold Turkey a damn site easier than coming off Valium. It took me a good 10 months before I could truly say I felt ‘normal’ - whatever the hell THAT is 🙄 I’m trying to learn what my new ‘Normal’ is not-sedated 😂

Thank you so much for actually educating and informing about benzo use. Spreading Benzodiazepines phobia ain’t the solution as everyone’s mind/need are unique. With everything it’s important to way the pros and cons. Weigh the risks vs benefits. ❤❤❤

Have you ever taken benzos for a few weeks straight? Good luck with your books and degrees because you will be hooked. All that literature and logic goes out the window.

It's actually true that doctors giving benzodiazepines to literally all patients right away if they have some unspecific psychiatric symptoms, even my doctors wanted to give it to me and I told her "fuck no!".

Dr Syl said it well. These medications are dangerous and also help some people. We all wish to live without medications, have no mental health issues but this is life and we have to live with it.

Been on benzos for 13 years. Been tapering off for 9 months now and it’s extremely difficult for me to function in society . I’ve been living off family the whole time and tried getting jobs only to have panic attack and not show up the first day. Family is growing impatient with me and I don’t know what to do I feel like I might end up homeless

Interesting thoughts, charmingly expressed. This is the only time I felt unambiguously sympathetic to Jordan Peterson, what a terrible, terrifying ordeal to go through.

What happens if you don’t need Xanax but use it recreational here and there and mix it with weed? Do I suffer the same withdrawals as others that really need it because of anxiety or having it to use it to sleep?

Cant you take Gaba to help withdraw?

I hope JR was not talking over JP the whole time as it seems from this edit. Its tempting to focus on demonising benzos - whilst losing sight of the terrible situation ppl endure before - if - they get to benzos. Some ppl do not make it... there is good reason for benzos - and its good to be mindful of that as well

Been on 2mg of Ativan for 21 years this is scary.

Jordan Peterson is 100% correct. I came off 6mg clonazapam after ten years cold turkey. I would have the same exact feelings of my whole body being on fire, would get jolts through my arms and legs. It's pure hell. Torture truly is. I'm just 6 years off and had to go in and get an Ashton Manuel taper because my local doctor wouldn't give me a taper when I was begging for life for one. Don't worry about the medication or whatever your trying to say to defend benzo use is exactly what they told me and I almost truly died. And just like Peterson said death would be much easier but for the love of my family I fight through this he'll. Just because your a doctor doesn't make you know what it's like to have cancer or something and unless your a dog who specializes I'm benzo use disorder you really should do some more research. Even if me and Jordan Peterson are the only two who's life's were destroyed by this drug, it still should be taken extremely seriously! It's far worse than opiate withdrawal by far. It's like if opiate withdrawal lasted two years every day, feels as hard as that first day.

I have Fibromyalgia. The Xanax works great to help joint pain and sleep

Valium at low dose ... is a really helpfull drug . Tolerance will follow with enough use but the upside is the long half life , meaning titration off the drug ,given enough time is really quite manageable. Valium can be very safely used for less than 10 days . That is quite a therapeutic window of time . The same can be said of opiates.. Addiction is in the person not the drug . Medicine in Australia right now has forgotten that ....with devastating results . Hopefully a more mature nuanced attitude regards medicating pain and anxiety may one day be reinstated.

AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF TAKING THEN JUST STOP....ITS A BUNCH OF GRAVES OF FOLKS WHO DID THAT 🙏🏾

I have BIND. Benzodiazepines induced neurological disorder. 18 months. HELL ON EARTH

In the states they most certainly did and some still do hand them out like tick tacks…maybe not in Straya

I take and have taken xanax for 2 year's straight. I take it regularly (not just when needed) because my panick attacks are so bad. I have every intention of continuing to take it daily until I leave this world.

I have been on xanax for over 30 years and just detoxed from aderol,taken for 8 months,xanax over 30 years,paxil over 30 years. Cigarettes over 40 years,coffee and sugar only because on my trip to hell and back. I was unable to get out of bed and shook for four days.

Most people started off using them in the " right" way....

Marijuana/cannabis would be a much better alternative to Xanax in my opinion. I have sleep issues. In somnia and night terrors. I use cannabis Indica before bed. I fall asleep and stay asleep.

The thing is most people these days dont get benzos from doctors haha, i had to CT alprazolam a bunch of times and it took two exepriences with delerium tremens basicly going insane for me to completly never do em again. Worst experiences of my life that probably also saved my life lol

When I started taking benzos in 2001 they actually handed them out like tic tacs. Literally. Anybody could get them for any reason in the US anyway. Since then it's a lot different.

But Jordan's daughter says he was on an SSRI. I don't know if she's lying or ignorant. Does anyone know what Jordan Peterson had to detox from??

My hands and feet are killing me .

The delirum from alcohol is terrifying

Joe isn't completely wrong about them being handed out like tic tacs though. I think it should be looked at in context to how they are regulated in different countries. I live in South Africa and here it is incredibly easy to get yourself a benzo prescription. There are truly doctors out there that will prescribe them without a proper medical diagnosis or just because a patients feels they need them. The problem I have with this stuff is I don't think that a General Practitioner / Primary Care Physician should be allowed to prescribe them (here in South Africa and a few other countries they are allowed to). My PCP put me on them after diagnosing me with anxiety after a 5 minute examination. 3 months later I found myself in the emergency room having a heart attack because my symptoms were actually from coronary artery disease. Once again I was prescribed xanax for PTSD after going through a heart attack at only 31 years old. I have now been on them for about 2 years and can feel the dependence really kicking in. There's nothing I would love more than to get off benzos.

Well, but very often people started taking benzo prescribed by doctors, and without any knowledge how dangerous it could be . What's more prescribed not by psychiatrist but just family doctor...what has happened to my wife...and what's the most important people left with dangerous information that you could taper it in 2 weeks...what in fact could be fatal.

maybe it's harder these days but back in 2000s I had an 18 year old friend being prescribed xanax claiming anxiety. ofcourse he didn't really need them he was using them to get high. he said it was really easy to get them. needless to say he became a complete ghoul with insane anxiety, paranoia and sickness. ovbs he wasn't taking them responsibility by why did his doc ever think he needed them ? he was fine before, maybe not completely but nothing like what he became after. he was on them for agessss months. not everyone has a responsible doctor and is responsible themselves. maybe he was going to different docs I dunno. but stories like this are all over the place. when I was 17, I went to my gp asking for my contraception pill to be changed because I was feeling a little moody. she asked me about 3 questions (having never met me before) and concluded "I think you might be depressed." then prescribed me antidepressant. I DID NOT ask for them or even indicate that I wanted them. no talk of councilling, other treatments. I wasn't prescribed Xanax but if a doc is willing to throw antidepressants to a 17 year old with no further action ("hey maybe you might want to discuss this with your parents before you make a decision?"), I don't find Joe's statement hard to believe.

I had a 2 year period of dependency on valium D5 D10 or whatever I could by also zimovrane mix with weed alcohol cocaine etc I was constantly shaking in the morning I'd wake up and take 10 D10s and 8 cans of cider to just slow the shaking down and then by the end of the day I could of taking anyways between 20-30 daily with alcohol especially but also everything else, when I finally quit I had no idea you could just stop 😂 for a week I couldn't stare at anything for longer than 30 sec with getting dizzy and the world spinning around then finally I was packing a bag and I felt this rush through my body I started convulsing and bang hit the floor in a fit I woke up with ambulance crew in my home and for some reason I thought I was out all night in a party but I had been at home all week detoxing crazy 😂 I guess i was illusionating... so I'm 10 years drug and alcohol clean now but I do have some after effects with speech sometimes nut major just like I can't get words out but yeah Benzos are crazy medication worse than herion I'd say because what they do is take away every fear and every insecurity in your mind and you feel bullet proof. The thing is though when you are down off them the anxiety quadruples and this is the problem they are the solution and then they become the problem and traps you in a viscous cycle. Stay clean people your mind is the key to the solution don't medicate... meditate 🙏🍀

I'll stick to weed for mental health tbh. Obviously it has it's own risk factors especially if you have dormant mental disorders but when I weigh out the potential risks compared to other drugs its a no-brainer for me.

One comment: I take issue with the claim that anyone discontinuing Benzodiazepines (via a taper or cold turkey) : “is the hardest thing you will ever do in your life.” First, we need pit compare suffering or challenges and make someone’s suffering the “winning” suffering. With all due respect, so many many people hangs come to mind that I believe ARE worse and harder by far, though again it’s not “useful” to compare suffering. EG: , growing up in a war zone, being forced to be a child soldier, having your child murdered in front of you (or losing a child to any cause), accidentally killing someone while driving a car (and let us specify “not drunk”), killing other humans (soldiers not civilians) in war (because that was the remit, the duty); seeing one’s s fellow soldiers felled and you yours of living and losing a limb (or three), being tortured physically or psychologically or starved as a child (anywhere: in a “first” or “third” world country). It’s a small pint perhaps but it matters to a lot of people not to have their challenges written off as less difficult than benzodiazepine (use, via RX) recovery. ☮.

Bro .. I'm 37, lived in Australia and long time and can say that they are often given out very easily. My first doctor threw Bromazepam at me regularly for years before I even realised it was a benzo and addictive. This has changed now but when this video was made, we were just coming out of that. In the US it was much worse than here. I witnessed it first hand bud. Obviously he's being hyperbolic about them being as readily available as tictacs BUT they were VERY easy to come by for many years.

My friend was coming off benzos and called me saying he was going with Floyd mayweather to buy a maybach lol he totally lost his mind. Apparently he wasn’t in much pain just totally delirious and was on a lot.. multiple a day for along time