{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Looking Through the Lens of Hopefulness","title":"The Prescription That Changed Everything: A Conversation About Benzodiazepines, Dependency, and Hope","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3171,"description":"The Prescription That Changed Everything: A Conversation About Benzodiazepines, Dependency, and HopeThere are some conversations that hit different when you’ve lived through similar experiences. My recent interview with D E Foster on Lens of Hopefulness with John Passadino was one of those conversations where two people who’ve traveled similar difficult roads can speak the same language without having to explain everything.D (as everyone calls him) is a medical researcher and the author of “Benzo Free: The World of Anti-Anxiety Drugs and the Reality of Withdrawal.” But those credentials don’t tell you what you really need to know. What you need to know is this: D was prescribed clonazepam (Klonopin) by his doctor in 2002 and took it for 12 years without any warning about the risks. When he discovered he was dependent on it and tried to withdraw, it became “the hardest and most challenging experience” of his life—one he’s still dealing with today.I know something about this journey because I’m on it myself.When Anxiety Becomes InvisibleOne of the first things D said that resonated with me was this: “One of the key problems with mental illness is its innate invisibility.”And isn’t that the truth? You can’t see anxiety. You can’t take a blood test for panic disorder. There’s no X-ray that shows your fear. And because it’s invisible, people—including doctors—don’t always take it seriously enough. Or conversely, they may rush to prescribe medication without fully explaining what that medication does or the risks involved.As D explained, anxiety becomes a real problem “when it becomes consistent, when it becomes chronic, and when it becomes something that affects our lives significantly.”I felt that deeply. Because I’ve lived there—in that place where anxiety isn’t just occasional worry but a constant companion that makes it hard to function.My Story Meets D’s StoryI admitted to D during our conversation that I’m a lifelong anxiety sufferer. I have what I jokingly call...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/joBo8hADlNFQ1k5x5xAjt5HyXmwErinAxq4X1VdxZyw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS82N2Jm/ODZmNjM3ODdlZGFj/OWVlZmJlYWRkZTM5/ZmUwNy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}