Life After Tooker

[Angela Bischoff]

Life After Tooker



March 3, 2012 - Eight years ago today we lost Tooker Gomberg. And what a tragic loss... The world needs Tooker now more than ever, and his skills, chutzpah, courage, vision and joie de vivre. I wonder where he is right now...

When Tooker first left, there were some who were convinced he'd skipped the country to avoid his day in court with Ralph Klein. Others thought he'd reappear a la Abby Hoffman, disguised. As his body has never been found, we can only hope...

But I saw how agitated, indeed tortured he became after starting his anti-depressant. After just 4 weeks on the mind-altering drug, during which time the dose was doubled and re-doubled, he abandoned us and his bike on the bridge. I later learned that agitation is a common adverse reaction to antidepressants, and a potent predictor of suicide. If only I had known. If only his doctor had told him, or me. Instead he prescribed a tranquilizer to counter the side effect of the first drug. But that's what psychiatrists do - push drugs. 

How many more must we lose to these dangerous psychiatric drugs? Antidepressants have been recognized as potential inducers of mania and psychosis since their introduction in the 1950s. Today, millions are sucked into their lies, and with their rise in popularity in recent decades, a trail of suicides, homicides, road rages, school shootings, addiction, emotional numbing, hostility, sleep disorders, hallucinations, impulsivity, sexual disfunction, paranoia and much more have followed. See SSRI Stories to bear witness to the antidepressant nightmares. 

I invite you to re-read Depression Expression - Raising Questions about Antidepressants, the newspaper I produced after Tooker's passing, and pass it on to those you know and love that are on antidepressants or who suffer from depression. If you'd like a hard copy, or multiple copies to distribute, let me know and I'll mail them to you.

If you're in Toronto, join us today, Sat. Mar. 3, 3 p.m., 553 Queen Street, for the annual community service to honour Tooker's passing, and the passing of all those who have gone before us.  

On Sun. Mar. 4, between 11 a.m. and noon, CBC radio The Sunday Edition will be airing a 2008 documentary called Burning Bright, featuring Tooker and activist burn-out. Listen live on CBC radio, or catch it live-stream on the net. 

For a dose of inspiration, read some of Tooker's great pieces by going to the Greenspiration site and clicking on Environment, and then scroll down to Articles. We've also compiled his articles into a book called A Friction to the Machine. If you're interested in a copy, email me. 

So many of us were blessed by Tooker's life and death. I welcome your stories and memories. I'd love to hear from you. 

Some of you have been on this Greenspiration email list for 2 decades. Thank you all, old and new subscribers, for your camaraderie. Together we are changing the world, creating a more beautiful, compassionate, just and sustainable planet... Every one of us is needed now more than ever.

Love, love, love, health and peace...
-angela




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