I am grateful that my suicide attempts were not successful, though, at the time, I was not happy about it.

I was suicidal pretty much my whole life but never attempted it until after I had stopped venlafaxine, and they put me back on it because of the discontinuation effects. The following week, I tried to kill myself three times.

The good news is that it changed something in me when I realized it was the medication that caused such overwhelming anxiety along with the lifelong depression I had learned to live with.

For most of my life, the effort involved in killing myself was beyond me. When the venlafaxine was restarted, anxiety, the likes of which I have never felt, made the desire to kill myself overwhelming.

The only reason I am still alive is I am a felon and can't own a gun. I am afraid of going back to prison if I am caught with one, and I couldn't get the knot on the ligature just right, so I would pass out and die without suffering.

Suicide is an option; tens of thousands of people take it every year, but waiting is also an option. Knowing I had the option kept me alive for 60 years. Eventually, the suffering lessons as we become accustomed to a new level of pain.

I believe people are most at risk when the suffering shows up out of nowhere.

Now, life is filled with joy, like Scrouge when he realizes Christmas hasn't passed.

As for chronic suffering that is terminal, I believe that humans should have the choice to end their suffering, but that's just me.

I hope everyone lives in peace and good health.