Hello and welcome!
This is the first post on my new blog, a fresh beginning.
For many years, I wrote at breakingmyteeth.com, where I wrote about my long, difficult journey of tapering off high-dose benzodiazepines after more than two decades of use. I’ll soon be reposting those earlier writings here in a special section for anyone who might need them.
For those who don’t know, benzodiazepines are one of only two substances that can be fatal if stopped abruptly or too quickly, the other being alcohol. I took my last dose on January 16, 2025, and I’ve been free ever since.
Finding My Way Back to Life
Now that the fog has lifted, I’m continually surprised by how good life truly is. After so many years trapped in a chemically induced haze where anger and despair ruled, I can once again be moved to tears by the beauty of a sunset, a mountain forest walk, or a single bird perched against the evening sky.
These are small miracles, things I couldn’t feel while on benzos, and they now shimmer with sacred meaning.
A Living, Breathing World
My worldview has become deeply animist.
I sense spirit in all things:
in the ravens I love so much,
behind a dog’s eyes,
within the mountains and rivers,
and even in the storms that roll across the horizon.
Consciousness, or Spirit, moves through everything. Perhaps I felt this long ago, even before benzos, but now that I’m free from all substances, for the first time since seventh grade, the feeling is clearer, more radiant, and more real than ever.
The Purpose of This Blog
At nearly sixty years old, I’m learning what it truly means to live.
My purpose in writing is twofold:
- To document my journey — from hopelessness to healing and happiness.
- To help others who may still be finding their way through the dark.
Getting off benzos was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I still experience occasional “waves”, brief returns of withdrawal symptoms, but they grow weaker, shorter, and farther apart as time passes. The road is not easy, yet the life beyond it is more beautiful than words can describe.
A Closing Blessing
Thank you for visiting, for reading, and for walking a few steps of this path with me.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you know peace.
Buck

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