Blood Orange Night

"From journalist and poet Melissa Bond, [an] ... account of [her] addiction to benzodiazepines (a family of drugs that includes Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan) and the hidden dangers they pose. As Melissa mothers her infant daughter and a special-needs one-year-old son, she suffers from unbearable insomnia, sleeping an hour or [fewer] each night ... Following her doctor's orders, Melissa takes [benzodiazepines] night after night; her body begins to shut down and she collapses while holding her infant daughter. Only then does Melissa learn that her doctor--like many doctors--has over-prescribed the medication, and quitting cold-turkey could lead to psychosis or fatal seizure. Benzodiazepine addiction is not well studied, and few experts know how to help Melissa begin the months-long process of tapering off the pills without suffering debilitating, potentially deadly consequences"--