Ode to as-needed Lorazepam
I have a valid US prescription, but quit my job and have been backpacking mostly Asia for the past 6 months. I've generally managed to keep myself in stock by using them sparingly, but for the past few weeks was totally out, and ironically the anxiety kept me from cold-calling clinics in foreign cities to refill.
Also thought it would be a good opportunity to see how I did without having the crutch.
Answer: horribly. Barely slept, barely ate, always slightly shaky, ended up on a horrible wine bender in Europe, spent most of the day bedrotting instead of exploring, etc etc. Basically straight back to life before my aunt connected me with a doctor that understood.
Yesterday I finally got back to my favorite SE Asian city where I was for long enough to make friends/learn clinic recommendations, so I got a refill from a clinic that already knew me within hours of arriving. Took 1mg Lorazepam, had some dinner, then went to sleep at 8pm. It's the next morning now, just had a large breakfast while making plans for my stay here, and feeling like I'm coming out of a 3 week coma.
It really is a miracle drug when used properly.