alcohol withdrawal
"I had been drinking the equivalent of a bottle of gin a day for the last 4 weeks. I'm an alcoholic who had managed to quit 4 years ago but had a serious relapse.

I tried tapering down the booze, but I felt like I was losing my mind with the stuff. I wanted to go cold turkey but the withdrawals were utterly horrific - I've never felt so dreadful, the depression was indescribable, I was worried I was actually going clinically insane.

I got an appointment with my doctor and he gave me a Librium prescription. On the first morning of taking the pills, I could have cried with relief at how much better the Librium made me feel - I almost felt 'normal' even though I was starting the cold turkey/withdrawal process. No shakes, no anxiety, no dread."