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D E Foster (Bio)

Updated: May 2

Summary


Founder of the support community Uneven Life, D E Foster has spent over a decade as a peer support advocate helping individuals manage severe anxiety and navigate the complications of anxiety medication dependence and withdrawal (BIND).


D has struggled with anxiety most of his life. In 2002, he was prescribed clonazepam (Klonopin) by his primary care physician and he took the medication for 12 years without warning. His withdrawal experience was extreme and became the foundation for his 2018 book, Benzo Free: The World of Anti-Anxiety Drugs and the Reality of Withdrawal. In 2019, he launched the Benzo Free Podcast and followed that up with the Uneven Podcast in 2024.


As co-founder and former co-chair of the Benzodiazepine Action Work Group. D was involved in several projects supporting the benzo community including development lead and pilot instructor for the Recovering from Benzodiazepines for Peer Support training course. He is also a member of multiple research teams where he co-authored a variety of papers including the 2023 study which introduced benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction (BIND).


In 2023, D was invited to join the lived-experience panel for the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) which published The Joint Clinical Practice Guidelines on Benzodiazepine Tapering on March 3, 2025.


D has been benzo-free since 2014, but he still deals with the lingering effects of BIND to this day. He now lives in northern Colorado with his wife, Shana, and dog, Murphy.


*** D E Foster provides peer support only; he is NOT a medical nor mental health professional of any kind. He encourages you to seek care directly from a licensed physician and/or certified therapist as needed for your situation.



Research Teams / Publications


Scoping Review of Benzodiazepine Protracted Symptomatology

  • Co-Author (Published August 2025)

  • BZD RESEARCH TEAM (The Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices)

  • Shade KN, Ritvo AD, Silvernail B, Finlayson AJR, Bressi JE, Foster DE, Martin IJ, Piper C, Martin PR. (2025) Long-term neurological consequences following benzodiazepine exposure: A scoping review. PLOS ONE 20(8): e0330277. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0330277


Joint Clinical Practice Guideline on Benzodiazepine Tapering


Evidence-Based Guidelines Are Needed (Letter to the Editor)

  • Co-Author (Published May 2024)

  • BZD RESEARCH TEAM (The Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices)

  • Breanna Sigler, BS; Bernard Silvernail, MS; Alexis D. Ritvo, MD, MPH; Christy Huff, MD; D. E. Foster, BS; Reid Finlayson, MD; Jolene Bressi, PharmD, PMP; Peter R. Martin, MD. "Evidence-Based Benzodiazepine Practice Guidelines Are Needed." J Clin Psychiatry . 2024;85(2):24lr15306. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.24lr15306.


Benzodiazepine Discontinuation Questionnaire

  • Co-Author (Published February 2024)

  • ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, IRELAND (RCSI)

  • Lynch T, Ryan C, Presseau J, Foster DE, Huff C, Bennett K, Cadogan C. "Development and validation of a theory-based questionnaire examining barriers and facilitators to discontinuing long-term benzodiazepine receptor agonist use." Res Social Adm Pharm. 2024 Feb;20(2):163-171. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.10.015. Epub 2023 Oct 29. PMID: 37919219. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37919219/.


Content Analysis of Benzodiazepine Discontinuation Questionnaire

  • Co-Author (Published January 2024)

  • ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, IRELAND (RCSI)

  • Lynch T, Ryan C, Huff C, Foster DE, Cadogan C. '"We need more support and doctors that understand the process of tapering …' A content analysis of free-text responses to a questionnaire on discontinuing long-term benzodiazepine receptor agonist use." Health Expect. 2024 Feb;27(1):e13962. doi: 10.1111/hex.13962. PMID: 39102711; PMCID: PMC10771803. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10771803/.


Benzodiazepine Induced Neurological Dysfunction (BIND) — Benzo Survey

  • Co-Author (Published June 2023)

  • BZD RESEARCH TEAM (The Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices)

  • Ritvo AD, Foster DE, Huff C, Finlayson AJR, Silvernail B, et al. (2023) "Long-term consequences of benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction: A survey." PLOS ONE 18(6): e0285584. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285584.


Enduring Neurological Sequelae — Benzo Survey

  • Co-Author (Published February 2023)

  • BZD RESEARCH TEAM (The Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices)

  • Huff C, Finlayson AJR, Foster DE, Martin PR. "Enduring neurological sequelae of benzodiazepine use: an Internet survey." Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology. 2023;13. doi:10.1177/20451253221145561. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20451253221145561.


Experiences with Benzodiazepines — Benzo Survey

  • Co-Author (Published April 2022)

  • BZD RESEARCH TEAM (The Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices)

  • Reid Finlayson AJ, Macoubrie J, Huff C, Foster DE, Martin PR. "Experiences with benzodiazepine use, tapering, and discontinuation: an Internet survey." Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology. 2022;12. doi:10.1177/20451253221082386. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20451253221082386. 


Safeguarding BZRAs — Benzo Survey

  • Co-Author (Published April 2022)

  • ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, IRELAND (RCSI)

  • T Lynch, CRyan, C Bradley, D Foster, C Huff, S Hutchinson, N Lamberson, L Lynch, and C Cadogan, "Supporting sAFE and GradUAl ReDuctIon of loNG-term BenzodiaZepine Receptor Agonist uSe: development of the SAFEGUARDING-BZRAs toolkit using a co-design approach," International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, Volume 30, Issue Supplement_1, April 2022, Pages i2–i3, https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpp/riac021.003.


PUBLIISHED BOOK "Benzo Free: The World of Anti-Anxiety Drugs and the Reality of Withdrawal"




Key Speaking Events / Trainings


COLORADO CONSORTIUM FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION

CME Lunch 'n Learn: "Benzodiazepine Induced Neurological Dysfunction (BIND)"

  • Co-Presenter (February 12, 2025)

  • Co-Presenter (March 29, 2023)

  • Co-Presenter (May 8, 2022)


UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, DENVER / Addiction Counseling Masters Program

"Benzodiazepines: Research, Reality, and Recovery"

  • Guest Lecturer (November 18, 2024)


BENZO WARRIOR COMMUNITY

"Living with BIND"

  • Presenter (November 11, 2024)

  • Presenter (July 26, 2022)


COLORADO CONSORTIUM FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION

"Caring for the Benzo Affected Individual"

  • Presenter (October 18, 2024)


RX AND ILLICIT DRUG SUMMIT

  • Faculty (April 10-13, 2023, Atlanta, GA)


TRAINING COURSE DEVELOPMENT

"Recovering from Benzodiazepine Use for Peer Specialists" (12-Hour Course)

  • Development Lead / Pilot Instructor (2022-2024)


COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND EDUCATION (CDPHE)

Benzo Wise Colorado (BWC) Presentation to CDPHE (Director and Staff)

  • Co-Founder of BWC / Co-Presenter (December 12, 2019)



1 Comment

Mark Mayer
Jul 27, 2025

Hi

Is Dee available for a conversation.

Mark Mayer

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