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The website at Uneven Life is a blog-based system with over 400 posts in a wide variety of categories.
Our content includes podcast episodes, blog articles, videos, stories, meditations, and various information pages.
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Benzo Info
Information about benzodiazepines and the severe effects they can cause when taken long-term.


How to Make Your Prescriber a Partner in Your Benzodiazepine Recovery Journey
One of the biggest frustrations for benzo / BIND patients is getting their healthcare provider to listen to them. Deborah Platt Bento is both a Nurse Practitioner and someone who has experienced the complications of BIND first hand. In this article, she walks you through five key steps to help prepare you for that challenging conversation.

Deborah Platt Bento
Oct 1, 2025


Basics of Benzos
What are the basics about anti-anxiety drugs? What are they for? Where did they come from? How do they work? How many people take them? What are the side effects during use? Definition of Benzos The term “benzos” is short for benzodiazepines, a class of anti-anxiety medication also known as minor tranquilizers, sedatives, BZDs, BZRAs, and others. These drugs are typically prescribed for anxiety disorders, panic attacks, insomnia, muscle spasms, and seizures. Nonbenzodiazepine

D E Foster
Oct 1, 2021


Basics of BIND
The following information is developed and maintained by D E Foster, founder of uneven and a member of the benzodiazepine research team that identified the term BIND. This information is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Any decisions about changing your medication dose should be made in consultation with your own qualified healthcare provider. For the Concerned Patient Stopping benzodiazepines abruptly can be very dangerous. For those who wish to disco

D E Foster
Sep 30, 2021


The Ashton Manual
Prof. C. Heather Ashton wrote what many medical professionals — and even more patients — consider the “bible” for benzo withdrawal (BIND). If you are considering tapering from a benzodiazepine, please work with your doctor and read this manual. Where to Find It BENZODIAZEPINE INFORMATION COALITION (BIC) Overview / Table of Contents PDF Version Kindle Version Nook Version BENZO.ORG.UK (Original Source) Online Manual About the Manual Benzodiazepine withdrawal (BIND) is ripe wi

D E Foster
Sep 30, 2021


BIND Symptoms
Benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction (BIND) can come with a barrage of expected, unexpected, and even sometimes bizarre physical and psychological symptoms. Neuroadaptation and neurotoxicity has caused the central nervous system to become hypersensitive and over-reactive to everyday stimuli, leaving these symptoms in its wake. The following is a list of possible side effects reported by individuals who have experienced difficulties during benzodiazepine withdrawal

D E Foster
Sep 30, 2021


Types of Benzos
The following list includes most benzodiazepines, z-drugs, and thienodiazepines on the market today and lists their generic name followed by other information, if available, including the most common brand name, other brand names, market focus, speed of onset, half-life, and equivalency. The Ashton Manual is the primary source for the data on this page, supplemented by other sources as listed in the references section at the bottom of the page. Values for half-life and other

D E Foster
Sep 30, 2021


For the Benzo Caregiver
Benzodiazepine-Induced Neurological Dysfunction (BIND) affects more than just the patients suffering from it. Although not in the same way or to the same extent, family members and friends — I’ll call caregivers — are impacted by it as well. As a caregiver, you may find yourself unexpectedly comforting your loved one, dealing with personality changes, talking through symptoms and ways to mitigate them, altering routines, and canceling plans. Along the way, you and the person

D E Foster
Sep 29, 2021


Benzodiazepine Guidance from BAWG
Benzo prescribing, deprescribing (tapering), and peer support documentation from BAWG.

D E Foster
Sep 29, 2021


Glossary of Terms
Benzo usage, withdrawal, and BIND can be very confusing experiences. Along with tapering schedules, substance boundaries, and a variety of known and unknown symptoms, there is also a collection of both medical and non-medical terms that are often unknown to the average person. We hope this glossary may help clarify this issue and perhaps start to create a sense of clarity in this confusing time. We need your help We all make mistakes. And that definitely holds true for this w

D E Foster
Sep 28, 2021
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