Addiction

[Guest guest]

Dear : My name is Ira.I have been on valium for 30 years.I want to taper off -the Ashton method anbd some guy I know wanted me to go to Narcotics Annonymous.You painted a very negative picture of it- This is one cruel world.Ira- I am a retired therapist. I have amother who could not care less about my idea and thoughts- if you mother shows no support how do you find people who will give you support-Thereis only l support group in the country for valium addicts- shows you about the real America- controlled by Big Pharma- you know when you talk like that, a psychiatrist might think you are delusional and give you a neuroleptic. This is a very dangerous America. Darwin was on the Covero f Newsweek.I guess he is beinconsidered a nut case by Evangelical America. I cannot wait for the day I can leave America. It has been tragic for me. Ira in Reno Why does everyone e mail me and think I am and who is

[Guest guest]

Dear _ I see you have been on enuroleptics-I am a national authjority on the subject and founder of the Tardive Dyskinesia-Tardive Dystonioa National Association. Am I permitted to ask you how did you get involved with this mess as mental illness is more contrived. I believe you are overly sensitive. I could be wrong anfd you might tell me you hear voice.I would like to know where you live and your life story if thati s allowed. These groups are all new to me.Ira- I am an Ivy League Graduate from New York City, Jewish and very incolced in Jewish issues as well as toxic psychiatry.

[Guest guest]

Oh - consider yourself fortunate you do not have Tardive Dyskinesia or Tardive Dystonia.I use to be a male model in NYC. This disorder is facially disfigure- thatis why I took valium to mask my movements.It amazingly works but it offers a set of other problems. Ira. I have been looking for years for an educated women who has tardive dystonia. But I do not know how to find such a person-Ira

[Guest guest]

Thank you , Kim, and for Flower Essence info: This is why ... Years ago AA and NA helped me come off alcohol and drugs However they are not supportive and downright hostile about stopping psychiatric drugs, saying I'm too mentally ill. But many of them are on anti-Ds themselves. These 'friends' have deserted me. So I don't go anymore. I've been on a cocktail of antipsychotics for 20 years and slowly come off them over last 2/3 years but now my brain goes into spasm, zaps and feels like someones tearing it out, mental torment, and I get real scared. I took the last resort measure of trying to explain this to my psychiatrist who suggested a few Valium. Remember taking two, next thing car crash. Nobody hurt Thank God. Spent the night in hospital in blackout. The valium turned out to be Ativan. With no drugs in my system for 4 months - the

sudden intake of this drug proved potentially disasterous. I am very grateful to be alive - there must be some reason why ??? Are there any other member of this group that ARE IN 12 step fellowships and are ACCEPTED. I've tried MD fellowship and Depressive groups but all they talk about is Medication. If they are happily on it - OK (I was once briefly) but I believe that all the drugs I have had has been the CAUSE of my mental illness - no matter what labels I've been given Things were okay (just mildly depressed) up until 3 weeks ago. I've put a few posts on the Social W & R but they hadn't appeared. I'm very confused at the moment. Is so difficult when your head is jumping out of your skull.

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[Guest guest]

Dear Ira,

You said:

<<Why does everyone e mail me and think I

> am and who is >>

** LOL, I'm . You are getting copies of list mail. That's

all. It's a mailing list. Everything everyone sends to the list goes

to each person who chooses to receive posts in their email. So when

people address me, you get a copy of it as doesw everyone else.

Regards,

[Guest guest]

Hi , I've been in AA a long time. There are so many people in AA here who are on meds. They don't want to hear about going off them. There is one woman in my group who is very supportive of me. She has never been on meds but is against them on principle. We also talk about healthy food and our chemical-free houses. I've been listening to you for a while now and it seems to me that you are stable and doing very well without meds. You have come a long way. I am also one who is coming off antipsychotics. I don't worry about the alcohol in essenses. In fact I think Green Hope Farm essences are made with vinegar instead of alcohol. But the Bach Flower remedies are cheaper and more widely available. The dose of an essence is much less than an herbal tincture. There is a woman in my group who started drinking the little bottles

of herbal tinctures and then slipped and went back out. But if the essesnce worry you, then maybe it is not worth taking the chance. I have my own weird rules about alcohol. I will eat anything in a restaurant that has a wine sauce, but I won't bring wine into my house for cooking. Buying it and uncorking it and having it in the house would be a huge trigger for me. Not the alcohol but the whole ritual. Do you keep trying different AA meetings? Maybe it is not about who can be supportive of you but who you can help there b/c of all that you have been through.

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[Guest guest]

" There are so many people in AA here who are on meds "

I think it's the same the world over, I guess they are on them to numb

themselves from whatever pain they aren't wanting to face? I am

guessing it is maybe hard to talk to people in AA (NA, OA, etc) about

the damage these drugs are doing to them.

Get support you need , if you need these meetings maybe it is

worth just forgetting that the others are on anti depressants etc??

Or get the support from this group, we are always here for you.

Ummm, not sure if what I am saying is making sense today.

Regarding you still being alive............God has a plan for your

life, you are needed here.

With Love

[Guest guest]

>

> " There are so many people in AA here who are on meds "

>

> I think it's the same the world over, I guess they are on them to

numb

> themselves from whatever pain they aren't wanting to face? I am

> guessing it is maybe hard to talk to people in AA (NA, OA, etc)

about

> the damage these drugs are doing to them.

> Get support you need , if you need these meetings maybe it is

> worth just forgetting that the others are on anti depressants etc??

> Or get the support from this group, we are always here for you.

> Ummm, not sure if what I am saying is making sense today.

> Regarding you still being alive............God has a plan for your

> life, you are needed here.

> With Love

>

>

I have been in recovery from alcoholism for 20 years and have

attended meetings, sometimes frequently sometimes not. I think what

happens is that people frequently get very depressed and/or anxious

sometime during their first year of sobriety. This doesn't always

show up right away because, at least in my case, there was an

initial thrill that I had actually quit. Unfortunately as the

(normal) alochol withdrawal symptoms begin to set in and prople are

depressed/anxious they often go to the doctor. Many doctors have

been taught to " fix " these normal symptoms of alcohol withdrawal

with antidepressants, which do appear to work at first. So it is

the same old vicious cycle. I had a friend who did this and she

didn't realize how bad the situation was until she decided to get

off the antidepressants when she was ten years sober. Then the

problems began.

I never took antidepresants in early recovery because I didn't like

the way they made me feel, but I did have a doctor put me on xanax

during that time because I thought I was losing my mind. I

eventually developed total insomnia and was abruptly withdrawn (I

found out years later that this is very dangerous -- it was

recommended by a doctor in a treatment facility who should have

known better!). The withdrawal from the xanax was horrendous and I

had to be hospitalized. I will try to put more about this in the

thread from the man who is trying to help his wife.

But, many AA members are very health conscious and aware. You just

have to look for them. In my experience they tend to gravitate

towards meetings with like-minded people. There will always be the

meetings with the coffee guzzling, chail smoking folks, but healthy-

minded people are out there too. I always find that the non-smoking

meetings are best in finding those types.