Melissa Bond is a narrative journalist, poet, and matriarch of Salt Lake City’s Slam Scene. The Salt Lake Tribune and the New York Post have both done features on Bond's book Blood Orange Night, her memoir about becoming dependent upon and then withdrawing from Benzodiazepines. Blood Orange Night was published by Simon & Schuster in June 2022 and was selected by the New York Times as one of the best audiobooks of 2022. Bond has been featured on PBS Story in the Public Square, Radio West, the podcasts Risk!, Endeavors, Psychology Unplugged, The New York Times 

Podcasts, RadioWest and Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books.

Listen in to hear Melissa share:

• How a very common medical prescription for insomnia led to full physical dependence on benzodiazepines that led to her rapid physical and mental downward spiral
• How she was able to begin to put together the pieces around her unforeseen medication dependence after narrowly escaping harming herself and her daughter in a fall
• Her discovery that her myriad of strange physical and mental health symptoms were actually her going through medication withdrawal every single day
• Her decision to confront the doctor who massively overprescribed benzodiazepines to her
• How the Benzo Harmed Community relates differently to common terminology around addiction 
• How the “shadow of shame” impacts people’s recoveries from substance use, substance dependence, and substance abuse
• Her advice to moms who are mentally or physically suffering with the demands of motherhood and how they can get help from medical professionals in the most safe and trusting way

Links mentioned:

• Connect with Melissa: www.melissaabond.com
• Melissa’s Book: Blood Orange Night
• Melissa on Instagram
• Melissa on Facebook

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