The Smile Episode: Stories and Other Stuff to Brighten Your Day - a podcast by D E Foster

Benzo dependence and withdrawal can seem hopeless at times — but it’s not. There is hope. There is healing. There is a better life on the other side. And today we dedicated an entire episode to positive messages and stories of success. In today’s episode, we share a whole series of encouraging facts, information, and most of all stories, which shine the light on the path to success and a better life. We also discuss some updates to the Benzo Free website and share a few other changes.















Welcome to Episode #56This is a special episode of the podcast. It is our"smile"episode. An episode of the podcast entirely dedicated to positive messages of hope and recovery. No trigger warnings here, I promise. I hope you enjoy it and let us know what you think. If you like it, we just may do it again.



Episode IndexEach time listed below is in minutes and seconds.



Introduction: 0:57Benzo Stories: 11:35Feature: 23:45Moment of Peace: 54:08Episode Resources



The following resource links are provided as a courtesy to our listeners. They do not constitute an endorsement by Benzo Free of the resource or any recommendations or advice provided therein.FEATURE: Positive MessagesAshton, C. Heather. Benzodiazepines: How They Work and How to Withdraw (aka The Ashton Manual). 2002. Accessed April 13, 2016. http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual.Carnegie, Dale. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. New York: Simon&Schuster, 1984. (originally published 1944). Print.Foster, D E. Benzo Free: The World of Anti-Anxiety Drugs and the Reality of Withdrawal. Erie, Colorado: Denim Mountain Press, 2018. http://www.benzofree.org/book.Kipfer, Barbara Ann. 14,000 things to be happy about. New York: Workman Publishing, 1990. Print.Phillips, Morgan. “Arkansas woman texted father's number every day after he died, she got a response four years later.” Fox News. October 26, 2019. Accessed February 10, 2020. https://www.foxnews.com/us/arkansas-woman-texting-father-every-day-response.Roser, Max and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina."Global Extreme Poverty."Our World in Data (Online Resource). 2018. Accessed April 12, 2018. https://ourworldindata.org/extreme-poverty.Roser, Max and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina"Global Rise of Education."Our World in Data (Online Resource). 2017. Accessed April 12, 2018. https://ourworldindata.org/global-rise-of-education.Roser, Max and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina"Homicides."Our World in Data (Online Resource). 2018. Accessed April 12, 2018. https://ourworldindata.org/homicides.Roser, Max, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina and Hannah Ritchie."Life Expectancy."Our World in Data. 2020. Accessed February 10, 2020. https://ourworldindata.org/life-expectancyRoser, Max, Hannah Ritchie and Bernadeta Dadonaite."Child&Infant Mortality". Our World in Data. 2020. Accessed February 10, 2020. https://ourworldindata.org/child-mortality.



BENZO FREE LINKSWebsitePodcast Home PageFeedback FormDisclaimerPodcast Summary



This podcast is dedicated to those who struggle with side effects, dependence, and withdrawal from benzos, a group of drugs from the benzodiazepine and nonbenzodiazepine classes, better known as anti-anxiety drugs, sleeping pills, sedatives, and minor tranquilizers. Their common brand names include Ambien, Ativan, Klonopin, Lunesta, Valium, and Xanax.Introduction



In today's intro, I spoke about updates at Benzo Free. We just launched our new home page on the website, and updates will be following on the back pages. We will also be adding a new library section and benzo stories to our online content. I also mentioned the new donate page, and explained the need for donations to help keep Benzo Free going.



Benzo StoriesToday we shared three success stories from Rick, in SouthCarolina, Heather in Minnesota, and Sara in Pennsylvania.



Feature: Positive MessagesIn line with our overall theme for today's episode, our feature included a series of positive or motivational messages and stories. These include:

Further episodes of The Benzo Free Podcast

Further podcasts by D E Foster

Website of D E Foster