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I Want to be Free Again

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I Want to be Free Again

I retired and wondered why I didn't feel free.? I was addicted to anxiety medication for ten years and realized I had to schedule my vacations and my life around my prescription medication.? I wanted to be free.? I decided to stop taking my medication several times but I got so sick I had to take it in order to go to work.

After I retired I was determined to feel free like I use to. I didn't tell my doctor nor my family what I was going to do because I didn't want any negative feed back like, "You really need your medicine."? I took my last pill on October 5, 2010 and I was so sick I thought I was going to die.? My pressure went up, I saw things that really weren't there, I could not eat or sleep.? However, I was determined to reach my goal of feeling free again!

I thought after two weeks I would feel better, but the withdrawal only got worse.? After a month I got to the point I could not take it anymore and I started to pray.? I was feeling awful and at the same time I was proud of myself because I knew once it was over I would feel free again.

It actually took six months before I tasted food, my arms/legs stopped jerking uncontrollably, I could reason slightly.? Then the sky was more beautiful than ever, I was more confident than ever, I started going to church again and now I am free again.

I will never go back to the way I use to be.



Partners for Hope raise critical funds on behalf Partnership to End Addiction – the nation’s leading organization dedicated to addiction prevention, treatment and recovery. Every dollar raised on behalf of the Partnership* will help ensure free, personalized family support resources, including our national helpline, peer-to-peer parent coaching, customized online tools and community education programs, can reach those who need them most. Please consider donating to this fundraiser and sharing this page.

*Donations made to Partnership to End Addiction are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. All contributions are fully tax-deductible, as no goods or services are provided in consideration in whole, or in part, of any contribution to this nonprofit organization.  EIN: 52-1736502

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Comments

1. Julie
Thank you for sharing your story, Joanne. Congratulations on five years of recovery today, 10/5/15.