Laurie Sandell » Ambien addiction

Meet the world’s leading expert on Ambien addiction

Laurie — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:08:09 +0000

After I wrote about my Ambien addiction for Glamour, the letters from readers poured in and I was asked to appear on The Today Show. Let’s not talk about what my bangs looked like–I cut them myself right before the show–or how tired I looked (nerves!) Now, any time a network does a piece on sleeping pill addiction, who gets a call? Yours truly! That’s right: I have officially segued from “published author” and “celebrity interviewer” into “camera-ready junkie.” A month ago I appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, and yesterday Fox News in Boston called me into a satellite studio here in LA to tape a segment about the same issue. Of course, this was a far cry from The Dr. Oz Show; there was no green room this time, just me, alone in a room, sitting in a chair with a mike in my ear. It’ll air Monday night at 10:00 PM on FOX News in Boston, and I’ll post a link to the segment once it airs, if it’s not too embarrassing.

I’ll be appearing on The Dr. Oz Show today

Laurie — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:43:06 +0000

If you’re in New York, you’ve already missed it–sorry! If you’re in LA, it’s airing this afternoon on Fox 11 at 5:00 PM PST. Just got the heads up, which is why I’m posting about this now. I’ll be watching with Carole because it’s too painful to watch these things alone. For the record, I’m on the segment about Ambien addiction, which I believe is in the second half of the show–not the segment called, “When Sex is Painful.” Ahem.

I’m taping the Dr. Oz show today

Laurie — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:59:44 +0000

I got a call from a producer the other day, asking if I’d like to participate in a Dr. Oz show about…drum roll, please…Ambien addiction! A few years ago, I wrote about my insomnia and subsequent Ambien addiction for Glamour, and it got a huge response from readers–I was even invited to appear on The Today Show. Every once in a while, someone will contact me through my website to share their own harrowing tale of Ambien addiction, and to ask how I got off the stuff. In my case, the answer was rehab plus yoga plus meditation plus quitting drinking. I know that’s not the answer for everyone, but I can’t tell you how difficult it was to quit–and how close I came to killing myself (inadvertently) as a result of that drug. One guy who contacted me told me that a well-regarded rehab center on the West Coast told him he wasn’t taking “enough” Ambien to qualify for help, and he should “embellish his story” if he wanted to get admitted. He said that was an exact quote! Meanwhile, Tiger Woods was admitted to the hospital as an Ambien overdose on the night of his car crash. Heath Ledger had Ambien in his system the night he died. Ambien addiction sent Eminem to rehab. And there are millions of anonymous Americans abusing the drug. So I am really happy that Dr. Oz is dealing with this particular subject. I’ll keep you posted on the exact air date.