Unlike traditional psychiatry, which rarely looks at the brain, Amen Clinics uses brain imaging technology to identify brain patterns associated with panic disorder and panic

Today, January 9th, I am 6 months free of Benzodiazepines after almost 15 years of use. I am seeing glimpses of the freedom possible ahead.

Today, February 9th, is my 7th month “birthday” free of Benzodiazepines. The past few days have been very hard for me because of continual abdominal

I have 8 months now. It is March. I am beginning to secretary meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous. I have to find “chairs” to share their

I recently discovered a friend who is also undergoing a benzodiazepine withdrawal. He has about 55 days when I got my 8 month chip. He

May 9th is my tenth month birthday. May has been a month where the symptoms of benzodiazepine withdrawal have subsided substantially. The mornings are rough

On June 9th, I celebrated my 11th month of abstinence from the use of all drugs and alcohol (with the exception of my high blood

Today is July 9th of 2013. I celebrated my first year of clean time and sobriety. I did today what I have been doing for

The first few days of my first year without anxiety medications was spent doing what I have been doing all year, going to meetings, eating

Months 14-16 saw the end of summer and fall in its beauty. I was able to enjoy fall more this year because I spent less

The most profound difference in month 17 from previous months is the reduction in the severity and number of symptoms. It has been a while

I celebrated 18 months on January 9th of 2014.  This has been a long journey to say the least.  I have gone from taking a

This month showed continued signs of progressive improvement. I was elected secretary of a very popular and long established meeting of Narcotics Anonymous.  Being of

Month 20 is by far the most significant of all the months of my recovery.  This month was less about the pain and suffering of

Month 21 continued to show improvement in number and intensity of symptoms.  Still waking up at about 5:30 in the morning with anxiety and minor

My days and evenings include a lot to do about recovery.  My mornings begin with a walk of about three to five miles followed by a healthy

Month 23 shows continued reduction in the number of physical symptoms as it relates to Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS). I still wake up at

It has been two years since the beginning of my recovery journey beginning with treatment in Costa Mesa where I was helped to abstain from

At 27 months, I am still having waves that last a few days and in those waves, I experience heart palpitations, difficulty catching my breath

What is autogenic training? Autogenic training (AT) is a technique that teaches your body to respond to your verbal commands. These commands “tell” your body

Benzodiazepines enhance the effect of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) at the GABAA receptor, resulting in sedative, hypnotic (sleep-inducing), anxiolytic (anti-anxiety), anticonvulsant, and muscle relaxant

For me, recovery began initially by agreeing that I was powerless against the addiction to benzodiazepines although it wasn’t until weeks into treatment that I

Physiological dependence on benzodiazepines is accompanied by a withdrawal syndrome which is typically characterized by sleep disturbance, irritability, increased tension and anxiety, panic attacks, hand