They say once you make it past a year, youāve officially detoxed and are no longer in withdrawal. Iāve still got a few months to go with my one year without opioids goal, but Iām officially detoxed from my benzodiazepines š„³šš» The reason I am celebrating the success of this latest battle so much is because it was a fight I actually chose to take on. Every other medical battle in my life has been pretty much involuntary; I didnāt get to make a choice... it just happened to me, and I dealt with it. Or it was the only choice I had if I wanted to survive. So I just had to fight. But this? This battle, I chose. I didnāt have to do it; I couldāve said no and carried on as I was, and no one would have judged me. But I wanted to do this. I wanted to try. And once I started trying, I wanted to keep trying. I knew it would be hell, although before going into detox I was naive about just how bad it would be. But I looked this challenge in the eye, and I chose to take it on. And Iāve chosen it over and over again, every day since that first day. Itās not easy; it never, ever will be. And one day Iāll have to take benzodiazepines for some reason, and Iāll have to decide to choose to detox all over again. But I choose this. Somehow, knowing this is a choice gave me power; it gives me power. I knew, I know, I could stop at any point in the process. But I wanted to keep going. I will keep going. It feels monumental to me, succeeding in a medical challenge I actually actively chose to take on. And in this success Iāve found out who I am. I will never judge anyone who needs benzodiazepines and opioids. But I do think other options besides and alongside medications should be used more, which often means a lot more work for doctors. And I think risks and side effects should be discussed in more detail and depth. But I can tell you now, no patient forced to detox will succeed. Allowing choice is what gives people power. Empower patients as people and we will work wonders ā¤ļø #choiceispower https://www.instagram.com/p/CNLrmgth_tY/?igshid=rsx6ewscg5ll
