Dr. Anna Lembke is our guest today — and trust me — you don’t want to miss this one! We discuss benzodiazepine tapering, substitution, the dopamine cycle, flumazenil, anxiety, social media, finding a doctor and so much more. Anna Lembke, MD is professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic, and an internationally recognized leader in addiction medicine, treatment, and education. A best-selling

What happens when you need surgery during protracted benzodiazepine withdrawal (BIND)? How do you manage the anxiety? Do you take meds? Benzos? Opioids? How do you handle recovery? Join D on his personal 14-day journey. In part 2 of this 2-part series, the surgery is completed and D reviews his decision to be given a benzodiazepine for sedation. He monitors its effect on his symptoms, discusses his recovery and use of pain meds, and explores his improved outlook on life afte

What happens when you need surgery during protracted benzodiazepine withdrawal (BIND)? How do you manage the anxiety? Do you take meds? Benzos? Opioids? How do you handle recovery? Join D on his personal 14-day journey. In part 1 of this 2-part series, D discusses his anxiety, insomnia, and other complications leading up to the surgery. He also shares his fear of cancellation, his struggles to find courage, and his reliance on traditional coping skills like distraction, visu

So, you’ve withdrawn from benzodiazepines. You still have symptoms. You still have struggles. You still have life-altering changes. And you still ask yourself daily, when will I get back to normal? Well, maybe D can help. In “A New You”, D E Foster discusses life after that last dose. He talks about BIND (benzo withdrawal), the healing journey, and shares his 10 tips for building a new life. He blends recent research with his own experiences and those of his friends at the Be

Enough about me — it’s time to hear from you. Welcome to our very first “Benzo Chat.” An in-person, casual conversation with you, the champions living day in and day out with benzo dependence, withdrawal, and BIND. In our inaugural episode, we sit down with Rob in the great state of Oklahoma. We talk online forums, exercise, insomnia, diet, detox, cognitive dysfunction, and so much more. His story is a difficult one at times, but at its core, it’s about hope — and we all coul

How long does withdrawal last? Will I ever be normal again? Will I ever recover fully? These are questions so many of us have asked about benzo withdrawal time and time again. In today’s episode of the podcast, I share some thoughts from the road on my own protracted withdrawal and the recent progress I have noted. I hope you enjoy it. Video ID: BFP081 Listen to the Podcast The Benzo Free Podcast is also available on... Apple Podcasts / Audible / iHeart / PodBean / Sp

Summary Robert’s story begins with Klonopin dependence, alcohol addiction, and a suicide attempt, but ends with confidence of recovery and healing. Details Key Topics: Anxiety, Benzos, Dependence, Withdrawal, Klonopin (clonazepam), alcohol, alcoholism, AA, suicide, suicidal ideation, addiction, recovery Listen on the Podcast: https://www.easinganxiety.com/post/conversation-with-filmmaker-holly-hardman-part-2-of-2 Content Warning Stories presented on Easing Anxiety may contai

Finding a New Normal One of the great things about hosting a blog and podcast is that I don’t have to think up all of the topics by myself. The ongoing correspondence with each one of you gives me plenty of ideas for my next post or episode. And yet, I still sit here and ponder, sometimes for hours, on what to talk about. At some point, I just have to pick something. Today, that something is “returning to normal.” So many who find themselves trapped in the throes of benzo wit