I’m a 73 years old female who has been taking a benzodiazepine for over twenty years, for the most part I never had any issues or even concerns about being on this medication. I knew that I was dependent on it, I find this a better word than addicted but I do realize it’s all the same. I never really thought about it because millions of people are dependent on their medication and just accept it as a normal thing, they need it to survive either mentally or physically. In the past number of years there has been a strong shift towards the negativities of this drug resulting from problems that have come about regarding other drugs, i.e. opioids. My sympathies go out to the people who became victims of this drug, it was truly a terrible injustice and resulted in a horrific problem for the many people who were affected and victims of it. Sadly when these tragedies happen it causes a massive landslide taking more people with it. I have read many stories about people suffering from the stress of being caught in this pandemic of another kind, they never had any issues or problems with their medication, in most cases they used it carefully and never abused it, now these same people are suffering from the pressure being put on them by the government and the medical system. It was like reading horror stories about people who used benzodiazepine for years and were later abandoned by the very same doctors who provided it for them. I don’t know how this will run it’s course, at the end of the day we are a world filled with pain and suffering and medication has always been a very big part of it. It’s truly an injustice to all of us who are being affected by this and somehow we must rise above it whatever it takes, this crisis is one of so many that are in our world, all I can say is stay strong and don’t let it take you down, most of all keep your faith strong and positive and hope for better days ahead for all of us.