The Rabbit Holes of ChatGPT and Recovery Forums

In this third episode, I talk about my experience going down the rabbit holes of ChatGPT and medication withdrawal/recovery forums when seeking answers and assurance for the truly bizarre, upsetting, and scary symptoms that occur when trying to come off meds. (And honestly, they happen when starting meds and even when at a stable dose!)

Of course, it's completely understandable to seek help and assurance. For me, it wasn't until Month 9 (I'm two weeks shy of one year off as of this recording) that I finally was able to stay away from ChatGPT and forums. However, looking back (and even in the moment), I can see how much precious time, energy, and mental bandwidth I was burning up going down those rabbit holes. At a time when such resources are in limited supply, it's probably best to allocate them to activities that bring us benefits, like going outside for a walk, calling a friend or family member, or just taking a rest.

As with so many things in recovery, this is a chicken-or-the-egg situation. It takes a while for our minds to relax enough to stop going down rabbit holes and seeking constant reassurance, but if we can keep ourselves from falling into those traps, our minds will naturally just relax a bit with time. For myself, I can say that it's gotten to the point where I hardly ever think of using ChatGPT or going on forums to seek answers or reassurance, and when I do have those rare and brief lapses, it's so easy to say no.