NB: W-BAD is currently unable to accept story submissions. People wanting to share their stories are advised to do so through Benzo Warrior.
Please Visit Benzo Warrior for stories
STORIES AND EXPERIENCES
There are a couple of ways to share your story to let everyone know that what happened to you is consistent with BWS and/or PWS:
- Submit a video
- Submit a written story
- Contact the media or share a story in a documentary (not necessarily affiliated with w-bad)
If approved, both will be featured here on worldbenzoday.org on either the videos page or the written stories page. Some people’s stories are told through media outlets, blogs and documentaries as well.
SUBMITTING A VIDEO
Please visit the VIDEOS page or W-BAD’s YouTube Channel to view W-BAD video compilations.
Making videos as part of your activism efforts for World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day is one way to bring awareness to the problem of iatrogenic benzodiazepine damage, dependence, and withdrawal.
W-BAD would love to feature your videos on our social media accounts, our YouTube channel and here on worldbenzoday.org where they will live on and affect change for years to come. If you make a video for W-BAD, please remember to send us your videos in our Dropbox account so that we can feature them on our YouTube channel and help you reach the widest audience with them possible. If you would rather your video appear on your own YouTube channel, that is OK as well. Please just include ‘World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day’ in your video title and then contact us with the link.
Don’t forget to also share your videos (and those of your friends and W-BAD comrades) on your own social media platforms and set them to ‘Public’ so that they reach the widest audience possible. Alert us of these public posts by tagging us (@WorldBenzoDay).
Thank you to everyone who does activism for W-BAD by making videos as these are valuable tools to effect change.
Some basic instructions and tips for making effective videos for W-BAD:
1. Include your location: this helps to present the iatrogenic benzodiazepine problem as a global issue.
2. Speak in your native language (and use captions to translate to English) if you would like. This way you can reach people in your country and who also speak your native tongue or who may not speak English. Multilingual media resources are a valuable resource to elicit awareness and change globally.
3. Keep an eye on the time. We get it: there’s SO much to say. However, remember that most people are pressed for time and their attention spans only so long – especially about a topic that is controversial and misunderstood. Your video might be more widely viewed and your message heard if you can keep it condensed. If you wish to cover an array of topics, it might be more effective to make multiple shorter videos as opposed to one long one.
4. Record in landscape (to avoid the black bars on each side of your recording)
5. Record in a quiet area with good lighting and without distracting background noise/activities
6. Be mindful of the volume of your video. You do not want the volume of your recording or of your voice to be so quiet/soft that the video is inaudible.
6. Try to make your videos as professional as possible. We understand that the victims of this decades-long travesty are angry at the injustice (and rightfully so) – we are too! However, it’s important to remember that change will not come from doctor-bashing, slinging insults, name-calling, videos filled with profanities and the like.
7. Please remember that W-BAD’s focus centers around raising awareness about iatrogenic, prescribed use of benzodiazepines. Your language in your video submissions should reflect that.
8. For unity and extra impact: wear your W-BAD gear while doing activism in your videos (this is optional).
YOUR STORY IN WRITING
You can also share your story in writing to appear here on worldbenzoday.org.