Day 84- DRUG FREE!

[Bunny Berry]

Thank you so much for all of your love, light, encouragement, happiness, prayers, reiki, etc over the weekend. I really needed it. I have been battling some demons that I wish I had never messed with, and now it's time to get them out of my life for good.

I have made a major life decision. One that I can only make for myself, and one that I am not in any way suggesting for you. This is a decision I had to make for myself, by myself, and to myself. I have decided to try to go 100% prescription drug free.

I am a drug addict. I have been relying on anti-depressants since my son was born back in 2004 (which I think that I legitimately needed), but that has led not only to anti-depressants, but to other drugs to mask the symptoms of the anti-depressants. I have taken every sleeping pill on the market, and am currently taking the generic version of Klonopin for anxiety and sleep. My doctor prescribes me 60 MG of Cymbalta (30 count), and then gives me 2 MG of Klonopin (45 count).

And if we're going to go ahead and be perfectly honest here, sometimes I take more Klonopin than I should and get my family doctor to give the occasional sleeping pill or anxiety med. Oh yeah, I'm hitting up two doctors and two pharmacies some months when my insomnia is bad enough.

Wanna know why I'm always bloated? Drugs. Want to know why I can't get rid of the weight? Drugs.

PHARMACEUTICAL DRUGS.

I may risk friendships here, but it's true. In fact, today, I think I already have lost a friend. Sure that won't be the last. This weekend, I stayed in bed and wept over this. And then I got up, and cut all my antidepressants into weanable portions, and recapsuled them. God told me to use exercise as my anti-depressant. He told me to use love as my anti-depressant. It's time for me to start using exercise as my anti-depressant. It's time for me to start using love as my anti-depressant. Laughter as medicine. Whatever it takes, I'm going to try it the drug free way.

As I sat there thinking about my life, I was also thinking about you. Your health, and how we've been teaching moderation. C'mon you guys, it's time to start getting serious about our health. I started working on the next 100 Day Challenge. And it's not going to look like the first. There is going to be *gasp* exercise involved. We're going to set goals, and we're going to ACHIEVE THEM. We're going to SEE RESULTS!

The next 100 Days of RawFu are going to take a new turn. And we're all going to be happier for it.

Here's to a DRUG FREE LIFE. Thanks for giving me the courage to do it!

[Deirdre]

Congratulations!!! I am so proud of you. Especially considering that you've had many days while being *on* drugs of not being able to get out of bed, etc., it seems like you'd do just as well, if not much better, without them. And I'm glad you're doing it slowly, under medical supervision. Follow your heart and your divine inspiration. We are all here for you!

[Sheri Ingram]

Woo Hoo! Way to go Bunny! I can't wait until the next challenge! I too suffer from depression (most of my life and I don't take any drugs for it). I would love to learn some drug free alternatives. I sent you Reiki this weekend, and I am here anytime you need.

Much Love and Blessings,
Sheri

[Leslie]

Bunny,

I applaud your honesty and desire to "get clean" and know that we are all on a journey of learning, healing, and evolving.

You know you can get what you need, and the needed balance with raw/live foods. My depression and anxiety have been greatly alleviated when I am 100% raw for a good string of days.

Drink a lot of water, alkalize, meditate, exercise, and get lots of hugs & love.
Ya know who made great strides getting off meds and getting healthy physically and mentally with all raw is Tonya Kay. Touch base with her, she's a great role model too.

XOXO

Leslie

[Gypsy Mama ( Michelle)]

Good for you Beth ! I support you 100%. I am sure you will succeed to do what you need to do for your health.

[Barefoot Artist]

Yay for you Bunny! Let's LAUGH! It's tried and true. It's natural and powerful. Lord knows I've tested it about everyway possible. Sometimes I'd rather not have to though. :) Anyway, the proof is in the pudding. I've seen it work miracles. I've included part of a curriculum that I've written for your reading pleasure. ;0)

Mental and Emotional Benefits of Laughter Yoga:
There has been much research by the health and medical fields in recent years about the effects of laughter as a health tool. Mental and emotional benefits are usually the most obvious because it usually just feels good to laugh. However, there is much more going on in the body than just feeling good when you get a chuckle. When you start to laugh, Dopamine levels (also known as the feel good chemical), a chemical made naturally by the body starts to rise. Serotonin, a natural antidepressant made by the body receives an immediate boost when you laugh! At the same time, Cortisol (stress related chemicals) levels are reduced. Often this causes a natural ease to depression and can occur quite rapidly. This is exciting news for individuals under stress or dealing with depression. Your body has natural coping abilities. We all know that when you feel good, you can handle stress much better and by using laughter as a technique to manage these times we are better able to cope with daily life, hardships and stressors that may come our way. Another chemical, Oxytocin, or the happiness hormone, elevates during laughter as well. This chemical also triggers a boost in the immune system. Also, due to the wonderful distraction of laughter we can release mental and emotional burdens and focus on the present moment which of course is feeling good during a hearty laugh.
copyright Rhonda Lee www.laughyourlife.com

[Barbara]

Good luck to you trying to go drug free. Please do not just stop cold turkey. That is very very dangerous. Are you doing this on your own or with your doctor's help? I do take Klonopin and Lexapro and have tried to go off them with disastrous effects. Please do this slowly, very slowly. There is nothing wrong with having to take drugs although using them willy-nilly is not very smart. I have a good friend who has abused drugs for years and I truthfully think that someday she will mix the wrong things and OD. She thinks she knows best. I say a lot of prayers for her.

[Suze]

Thank you so much for emphasizing that you are weaning yourself from your prescriptions under a doctor's supervision. And thank you for reminding us all that prescription medications do have their place in life--that modern medicine is not inherently evil. As one who must rely on pharmacological intervention in order to live, I have always appreciated your balanced viewpoint on this matter. Embracing a raw food lifestyle does NOT mean that one must completely reject modern medicine, and I get so tired of the cacophony of shrill voices who insist it must be so...

I am happy for you that you are happy about taking steps to wean yourself off your medications. I wish you much success in your efforts. I hope you'll continue to let us know how your efforts are going.

[Rebecca M.]

Here's your theme song! We are happy for you. Good luck and stay strong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY41o-iZStI

[Bunny Berry]

Hey, thank you and Antony for all of your concern about weaning. I'm actually seeing my psychiastrist once a week during my weening process (which could take as long as 6 weeks or more). My psychiatrist is actually very supportive of me going off of the drugs and trying natural approaches. He says that if half of his patients walked for an hour a day, they wouldn't need their medication.

When I asked him about the other half, he just laughed. You'll all love Dr. B. Wouldn't they, Cathy?

[Bunny Berry]

Rebecca, this is going to be the first song I work out to EVERY SINGLE DAY! :)

Rebecca Maloney said:

Here's your theme song! We are happy for you. Good luck and stay strong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY41o-iZStI

[Ellen]

Bunny,

Thank you, as always, for being so candid and open. You have the power to affect many, many people through your authenticity.

I am so very proud of you and am sending all the love and light I can muster. This is a very brave thing you are doing. Many of the legal pharmaceuticals are more insidious than some of the illegal ones. Especially because prescription drug use is acceptable and even encouraged in some circles.

May I suggest that you incorporate yoga and/or some sort of mediation into your daily routine. It has done wonders for me and need not be overly strenuous to work the mind-body connection.

I am not a smoker myself, but medicinal marijuana has also been shown to help take the edge off initially, at least while you're experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Again, I am not advocating smoking pot. Just thought it might be worth some research.

Everyone here is behind you 100% to do whatever you need to do to get healthy.

Aloha,

Ellen

[Earth Mother]

WOW, wasn't fooling about what I wrote on your last post, regarding the astrological soup the beginning of July — death, rebirth and soul liberation. Happy for you, Bun. And, support you 100%. A very empowered decision.

Much Love.
xo!