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In the quiet time during relaxation imagine you are holding on to the string of a large balloon. There is a basket on the bottom of the balloon. Without straining to remember everything, put into the basket anything that has ever hurt you since before your birth: lack of love, rejection, failure, hurtful things people have said and done, grief, pain, frustration, anger, feelings of worthlessness, guilt, shame, or anything else lurking around. Now raise your hand briefly in a conscious attempt to let go of the string, and watch the balloon float out of sight. It may take several weeks to get some particularly hurtful things into the basket, but when you have managed it you will feel the release.

Sharing the ‘basket’ experience at the end of the session is helpful in two ways. Fellow feeling in the group is cemented by the realization that we all have similar hurts and insecurities, and also the person who is unwilling to relinquish the past hurts can use the group as a ‘sounding board’ to reflect his or her own thoughts in order to discover why there should be reluctance to let go. Often there is laughter during this sharing time. One man amused a group by saying, ‘It was a struggle, but I got my mother-in-law in the basket this week.’

If you are a private person and do not want to share your feelings it is still a useful exercise.

Be patient with yourself if you suffered a bereavement or other sad experience whilst you were on tranquillizers. You may have to work through those feelings again as you withdraw, even if you feel rationally that the experience is in the past.

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Urinary Symptoms

Frequency, burning, and incontinence are reported. Again, investigations usually prove negative. Treatment for infection is ineffective. If your doctor confirms there is no infection, drink plenty of water and be patient. Young and old, men and women, sometimes have slight (and temporary) urinary incontinence during withdrawal.

Influenza-like Symptoms

If you experience headaches, sore throat, stuffy nose, burning skin, it may be that you are cutting down too quickly. Some people recognize that they have had these symptoms for years. The influenza they experienced several times a year was when they ran out of pills, or forgot to take them on holiday. Many people remember a flu-like illness when their pills were stopped on admission to hospital for routine surgery. The symptoms always disappeared when they resumed taking their pills.

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It may be that the drugs artificially raise the blood sugar levels and therefore low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) could be expected on withdrawal. Even if this is not so hypoglycaemic symptoms are often present in anxious people. The condition is not serious and is easily controlled by a sensible eating plan. Many have said that some of the withdrawal symptoms, e.g. shaking inside, confusion, and panic attacks improve if they do not allow themselves to get very hungry. You will see from the diet that sugar is not the answer to hypoglycaemia but it can be used as an emergency measure until a meal is possible. Carry glucose tablets, chocolate or sweets, particularly if you are driving or in any situation that needs concentration.

The following diet is an example of an eating plan that helps to keep the blood sugar stable. It is only a guide and not something to become over-anxious about. Many have found it greatly reduces the craving for sugar, or the desire for odd foods.

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1. Symptoms are less severe.

2. Better if you have a stressful job or domestic life.

3. Better for long-term users if hospitalization is not possible.

4. Gives time to adjust to deep emotional problems (if they exist).

5. General health can be improved at the same time, and therefore make withdrawal easier.

6. May be the best way for the person who has always been severely anxious.

7. Reduces risk of going back on pills.

SLOW WITHDRAWAL TABLES

These are only a guide. Where they show unequal dosage work out which part of the day you need the higher dose. Unless you are accustomed to only one dose per day, divide the daily dose as evenly as possible. By doing this you will avoid sudden drops of the level of the drug in the blood.

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