Blood Orange Night

My Journey to the Edge of Madness

De: Melissa Bond

Narrado por: Melissa Bond

Brain on Fire meets High Achiever in this “page-turner memoir chronicling a woman’s accidental descent into prescription benzodiazepine dependence—and the life-threatening impacts of long-term use—that chills to the bone” (Nylon).

As Melissa Bond raises her infant daughter and a special-needs one-year-old son, she suffers from unbearable insomnia, sleeping an hour or less each night. She loses her job as a journalist (a casualty of the 2008 recession), and her relationship with her husband grows distant. Her doctor casually prescribes benzodiazepines—a family of drugs that includes Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan—and increases her dosage regularly.

Following her doctor’s orders, Melissa takes the pills night after night until her body begins to shut down. Only when she collapses while holding her daughter does Melissa learn that her doctor—like so many others—has over-prescribed the medication and quitting cold turkey could lead to psychosis or fatal seizures. Benzodiazepine addiction is not well studied, and few experts know how to help Melissa as she begins the months-long process of tapering off the pills without suffering debilitating, potentially deadly consequences.

Each minute thrums with the heartbeat of Melissa’s struggle—how many hours has she slept? How many weeks old are her babies? How many milligrams has she taken? Her propulsive writing crescendos to a fever pitch as she fights for her health and her ability to care for her children. “Propulsive, poetic” (Shelf Awareness), and immersive, this “vivid chronicle of suffering” (Kirkus Reviews) and redemption shines a light on the prescription benzodiazepine epidemic as it reaches a crisis point in this country.

©2022 Melissa Bond. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Powerful!

I couldn’t stop listening! Melissa writes PERFECTLY- her words are gripping and eloquent. I am a nurse and have learned so much from Melissa - I have taken benzodiazepines for anxiety and had NO idea of the danger! I am personally thankful for this masterpiece!

Important message. But needs serious editing.

This book is about addiction, medically prescribed addiction. But it ends up being so full with adjectives that you lose up in the twirls. Way too many. Hundreds of adjectives and forced “beauty”. The narration is way too corny. Needs serious editing.

A compassionate, sensitive, good mother persevered

This author is passionate, truthful, accurate, & very inspiring. All at once. I recommend this listening session, to anyone.

Raw Memoir

Beautiful writing. I struggled with her perception of people who cross from dependent to addiction.

Great insight the dangers of benzodiazepines

I liked the book because it shows how addictive benzodiazepines are, and that many doctors are not aware of this. I listened to this audio book because a coworker took his owe life because of an ignorant doctor prescribed him a strong benzodiazepine sleeping pill. He took it for three month then couldn’t function at work because his tolerance increased and withdrawal started. He tried to tapper,but this put him in bed for 3 month until he could take it anymore.

Strength and courage

Thank you for sharing your story. You are a hero and an inspiration to many.

Must read for everyone.

As a person who has been prescribed Benzos, I was shaken to my core. I had no clue how dangerous these "perfectly safe" little pills are. So many of my symptoms have started making sense. this should be shared in all school curriculums.

Couldn't Stop Listening

Melissa Bond embarked on parenthood at a rough time, the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Her first child was born with Down Syndrome. As she and her husband were adjusting to having a child with special needs, she became pregnant again. Less than 18 months after the first birth, she struggled through a life-threatening delivery. She had lost her job in the recession. Her husband felt the burden of being the sole financial support of his family. Melissa found herself unable to sleep, a condition which persisted for weeks. Eventually, she was prescribed Ativan, a benzodiazepine like Xanax and Valium. She became physically dependent on Ativan, which led to serious cognitive and physical side effects.

This memoir is a horror story where the prescription medication is the monster. I had no idea how dangerous benzodiazepines are. I had heard of celebrities on Xanax, but that seemed like news of a world apart from mine. In reality, many ordinary people are dependent on these medications, which are widely used for legitimate purposes, but apparently, they are often prescribed for too long. In some cases, two weeks is too long.

Melissa Bond's description of her struggle to get off a dangerous drug is compelling. Her story of coping with her physiological dependency while meeting her responsibilities as a parent makes a fascinating and frightening read.

If you’re a mom with a disabled child…

I can see this book being more interesting. Completely depressing, painfully long diatribes. Not for me.

Raw. Real. Really Good.

A candid & courageous memoir by Melissa Bond! Wow…I was extremely engaged in Melissa’s raw, authentic depiction of her addiction to pain killers. Her unrelenting insomnia sent her on a desperate quest for relief. It made me wonder how many women I encounter daily have struggled with this addiction too. Very compelling read!