About Will Day

My work in the benzo recovery field began in Melbourne, Australia in 1989.

I had been working for some years as a drama teacher and actor when in 1988 I stopped taking benzoes after many years of dutiful, prescribed, daily ingestion. I’d reduced my dose over several months with the wonderful assistance of Tranx (now known as 'Reconnexion'), Australia’s only specialist treatment agency for those coming off benzoes. Several months off pills I began volunteering with Tranx as a support-group facilitator and telephone counsellor.

The following year, with two other Tranx volunteers, I co-founded the Benzodiazepine Research Group (BRG) where I worked for 4 years undertaking social research into the experiences of those who had been prescribed benzoes. Our particular focus was the illness associated with pill use (benzo illness), the withdrawal process, and what does and doesn’t help in withdrawal/recovery. At BRG we also provided occasional phone support to benzo sufferers and undertook community education initiatives.

My two co-workers, Di Porritt and Di Russell, produced the book ‘The Accidental Addict’; based on our research. It has been a great support to many who have been landed with a particularly severe withdrawal syndrome. (This publication was very significant: it was the first time a book had documented in detail, in their own words, the experiences and symptoms of men and women who were living with prolonged, post-withdrawal illness. They are a relatively small percentage of ex-benzo patients but their situation is particularly difficult and poorly understood. The publication of ‘The Accidental Addict’ helped validate the reality of the protracted syndrome for health workers and for those ex-benzo patients who were suffering with that condition.)

In the mid 90’s I flew to Britain and the U.S.A to investigate the benzo scene in those parts of the world, attending conferences, interviewing major players in the field and enjoying productive meetings with many benzo patients and benzo workers. Subsequently I returned to Sydney, Australia to set up and co-ordinate the Benzodiazepine Resource Centre at Rockdale.

The Rockdale centre operated over a two year period as an international information exchange and networking hub for health workers and benzo patients. Our project was to raise awareness, to educate and to continue gathering and exchanging information about the nature of benzo illness, the withdrawal syndrome and its treatments.

I moved away from benzo work in the late 90’s, returning to University to complete a Masters in Creative Arts Therapy and subsequently have worked and taught in that field, undertaking further studies in counselling, men’s counselling, and domestic violence issues along the way.

But I have kept an eye on the benzo world. I returned to do a weekly volunteer shift on the phones at Tranx through 2001-2003 and sat on their Board of Management through 2002 - 2004.

These days I offer a freelance service providing information and support internationally to folk struggling with nasty or prolonged benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms.

For more about Will's own benzo experiences see 'A Slice of Benzo History'