My life can be charitably described as a series of ups and downs. I started off dirt poor, raised by a single mother who barely had enough to get by each week. As life went on, I worked my way to the top of my class at college and created a career in business, the results of which exceeded even my dreams. I had experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in life all before my 30th birthday. By the time I was 33, I had the perfect life; and all I had to do was keep it.
My career required me to keep very long hours. It wasn’t uncommon for me to sleep for two hours per night. At first, I just told myself that it was the cost of doing business, but eventually my body had become so used to not sleeping that it would no longer let me. That’s when Xanax and I got to know each other very well. After a while I would have done anything just to be able sleep. Instead of starting with a mild sleeping pill, my doctor gave me Xanax because he was convinced that I was suffering from anxiety.
At first, it was like a dream (literally). I was able to sleep through the night and felt better than I had in years; but when I started really craving it I decided to dial back my use. Then the sleepless nights returned and it became that I needed Xanax to sleep. To make matters worse, I started experiencing other withdrawal symptoms as well. My doctor said that they would pass, but the craving grew stronger and stronger and eventually I gave in. I battled this drug for about a year, during which I nearly lost my job and destroyed my life.
I knew that if I could just find a healthy, natural way to heal, I wouldn’t need Xanax anymore. I decided to enter an inpatient holistic drug rehab program because I wanted to get help for Xanax and also find out why I couldn’t sleep under ordinary circumstances. After three weeks in the program, I was sleeping better and craving anxiety meds less and less. When I completed treatment, I was eager to get my life and my career back on track and am happy to report that I have done exactly that. I still have the occasional craving, but am fortunate enough to not have my addiction define me and dictate my life.
