I have abused benzos for 10 years, opiates for 5. During the worst years I included horrific self injury (cutting) to the point they wanted to do skin grafts on my legs. The depression I was self medicating with the benzos nearly killed me. A lot of police in my house, a dozens and dozens of ER visits fucking bonkers on benzos and bleeding like a stuck pig. Several psych wards stays, a lot of wrestling with hospital security....this went on for years, however the tiny part in side of me who wanted to keep fighting kept trying every goddamn psych drug out there. Eventually we started seeing progress after I fired the shittiest, most dangerous psychiatrist I've ever seen and got myself a new one with brains. I slogged forward for years. I still have bumps in the road, and I still drink poppyseed tea occasionally, but the scarring all over my body has faded and I am slowly planning potential careers. I'm 29, and completely lost my 20s to madness, with benzos playing a huge part in it.
After something major last year I was sectioned for 2.5 weeks in a psych ward. Late one night I tied a noose to my bed and dropped into it. Suddenly, I had this thought that if I died, I might miss something like an interesting documentary. A completely ludicrous thought, who fucking cares about missing a TV show? but it was suddenly extremely important to me. I sat back up, caught my breath, went to bed and handed the noose in in the morning. It killed something within myself I think that needed to die. A while later I was released from hospital, on even better meds, and I now continue to walk forwards.
Your post really touched me.
It reminded me greatly of my brothers story from so many years ago; unfortunately however he didn't quite take the same motivated steps that you did, had equally poor luck with psychiatrists and didn't make it.
Keep fighting mate, this roads a rocky one.