warning: off topic bullshit ahoy!!!
full story: ive been anxious my whole life. i remember having a severe panic attack when i was fucking 9 years old over a goddamn math problem in school. but somehow i made it thru school fine. when i was entering university i started doing way more drugs, cocktails all the time, and when i was 20 i had a supremely horrible panic attack that led to a celexa and klonopin combo. i didnt like the celexa but discontinuing one meant discontinuing both since the crackpot uni psych always prescribed the two in tandem. my roommate at the time had the same doc and meds and we just used the clonazepam recreationally and traded it all the time.
i got thru uni age 22 and until age 25 was fine without anxiety meds and to that point i never used them as rxed anyway. i got caught by LEOs with pills around this time and this led to getting a legit script from my awesome doc who would rather i got pills the right way instead of illicitly. by pills i mean benzos. i didnt wanna fuck up a good thing so ive been taking 5-10mg average daily for the last 2.5 years (im 28 now). sometimes i would take up to 30mg if i was really upset and the most ive ever taken was 55mg. ive never once run out ahead of time, usually because id substitute benzos for constant drinking on weekends, and then switch back come monday.
now that i have been using them for so long i feel like its time to either give up the crutch or resign to lifetime use. ive heard anecdotal evidence of permanent brain chemistry changes from long term use as well. i would like to quit benzos even though they help me for the same reason i loathe ADs, despite common sense telling me i should be on them. primarily, id rather feel pain than nothing at all, and secondly, potential side effects... admittedly less severe with benzos. there ya have it.
if my taper succeeds ill have a full gram of valium in reserve for emergencies and friendly giveaways. my opiate buddies love it when i shower them with leftovers.
tl;dr i survived most of my whole life without them, and i think i can do that again. benzos are great but at this point i think i can escape without major complications and it was good while it lasted. time for some suck-it-up syle willpower.