Flaptekst

This is Mr. Podsobinski's second book. Like his first book about his first 40 years with schizophrenia, this book is also about his further encounters with his own mental health issues. What prompted the writing of this book is that Mr. Podsobinski inadvertently went into total Xanax withdrawal while trying to discontinue the Xanax he had been on for 15 years. He did not know this could be fatal.

What ensued in the process was hallucinations he instinctively recollected from his 1970s young adult use of real LSD and fresh Psilocybin mushrooms as he compares the Xanax withdrawal hallucinations with these psychedelics, but shows how they are not the same as far as hallucinations for clear reasons. Then he examines the Xanax hallucinations with the hallucinations of full-blown psychosis as in his first book. His examination once again finds these are not alike forms of hallucinations. In this sense, the book is an examination of hallucinations.

A more important serious aspect to this book is it shows why Xanax honestly earns its bad reputation. It is not an addictions thing as thought. Larry's digging and verifying with doctors finds it is only more recently known that Xanax causes brain damage, not addiction. It affects/damages a certain brain chemical described that then will never function the same unless Xanax is attached to this certain normal brain chemical. He describes the works and what it is like to know one is living with this in the one recurrent theme in the book.

Other recurring themes include again aspects including aging with residual schizophrenia and keeping it benign since late 1994.

In addition, brought to light is current state of art medical science that Psilocybin is being used to treat resistant depression and other ailments.

A thoughtful look into modern thinking on substances that once only were considered drugs of abuse and are now being found to have medical benefit.

The Author April 2021