How Is This Different?

[Blueridge Believer]

Many of my tee-totaler friends who shun the very thought of taking a drink will make allowance for the use of doctor prescribed mood altering medications. How is it different if a christian takes xanex, valium, or any other of a myriad of medications to help them control anxiety than a man who has say... a couple of drinks in the evening before he goes to bed to do the same thing? The sad thing is that many good christian people have been addicted to these medications and have been overcome by them. Many of them are MORE habit forming than alcohol.
I'm not railing on anyone who has to take these medications because I myself have had them prescibed in times past. I guess I'm just musing.

Your thoughts....

 

[Bandguy]

Many of my tee-totaler friends who shun the very thought of taking a drink will make allowance for the use of doctor prescribed mood altering medications. How is it different if a christian takes xanex, valium, or any other of a myriad of medications to help them control anxiety than a man who has say... a couple of drinks in the evening before he goes to bed to do the same thing? The sad thing is that many good christian people have been addicted to these medications and have been overcome by them. Many of them are MORE habit forming than alcohol.
I'm not railing on anyone who has to take these medications because I myself have had them prescibed in times past. I guess I'm just musing.

Your thoughts....

Is there anyone on this board who is a tee-totaler who shuns the very thought of taking a drink that you are expecting to answer this question? I don't know of any, but I admit I have been here for only a short while.

 

[Blueridge Believer]

Anyone who wants may participate in the discussion. I brought it up because of a discussion with a brother from an IFB church. IFB's are some of the biggest te-totalers known unto christian world but will make and allowance for nerve pills. The Free Presbyterians are total absitnence as well.

 

[LadyFlynt]

What is funny...is that on one hand you will have IFBers screaming against drink, and yet get to know some really well...you'll find a good portion with wine in their fridge. Growing up I knew quite a few IFB men that liked their beer...but once in church they would tell you the evils of it. Same with music (one friend's dad said if you tap or want to tap your foot to it, then there is a problem with the music...I quickly pointed out that he tapped along to several hymns every Sunday!).

Though I was against drink, I was also against psychotropic drugs...I'm now for drink and still against psychotropic drugs (I don't judge ppl on them, I have an issue with the type of drugs themselves).

Their reasonings though will be...drink is mentioned in the bible, these meds aren't...and dr prescribing...you know anyone with a MD or PhD is next to godliness (though we had a dr actually prescribe that my hubby drink a glass of wine or a beer at night)

 

[BJClark]

Blueridge reformer;

Many of my tee-totaler friends who shun the very thought of taking a drink will make allowance for the use of doctor prescribed mood altering medications. How is it different if a christian takes xanex, valium, or any other of a myriad of medications to help them control anxiety than a man who has say... a couple of drinks in the evening before he goes to bed to do the same thing? The sad thing is that many good christian people have been addicted to these medications and have been overcome by them. Many of them are MORE habit forming than alcohol.
I'm not railing on anyone who has to take these medications because I myself have had them prescibed in times past. I guess I'm just musing.

Your thoughts....

it's possible they see a difference because of various abuses towards women and children that are more prevelent with alcohol use, as opposed to valium and xanex, so it has that stigma attached to it.

 

[LadyFlynt]

BJ, Good point...but I've seen these prescipts put men into stupors to the point of being medically inable to work...and ruin marriages.

 

[Blueridge Believer]

Doctors are prescribing anti-depressents and anxiety medication like candy these days. Everyday life problems that a few years ago people just accepted are now a "crisis" needing medication. I saw a documentary recently where doctors in the pshyciatric(did I spell that right?) field were concerned that private practice doctors are prescribing this stuff way too much.

 

[BJClark]

LadyFlynt;

BJ, Good point...but I've seen these prescipts put men into stupors to the point of being medically inable to work...and ruin marriages.

I was going to say something about that too, but didn't.

I do a know a family who has been struggling with this very issue, the doctors finally changed the husbands dosage of medication and things have begun to improve. The only thing is, I don't know if he's looking at the why's of his stress.

I don't drink, and I don't have an issue with prescription drugs...but my reasonings for not drinking have more to do with knowing my own issues with alcohol.

My grandfather was an abusive drunk, he quit drinking after my grandmother was hit by a car being driven by a drunk driver. My dad was an abusive drinker, my ex-h was an abusive drinker...

I know from prior experience, for myself, drinking didn't help me relax or calm my nerves, I became more agitated, it fogged my thinking instead of clearing my head I made some really bad choices.

I've also taken Wellburtin, when I was dealing with past abuse issues they actually cleared my head enough to think things through. I was able to look at the issues I was dealing with and confront them head on...instead of trying to hide behind a medication. I didn't use the medication as an excuse not to face the stress I was under, thinking "I'll just pop a pill and not deal with the actual stress I was facing."

Within six months I was off the medication, even then I had to learn other coping mechinisms so that I didn't turn to drinking or medications to relax. It's been six years now, since I've taken the medication.

So for me, I'd rather face the issue that is causing me stress or to be anxious and find out why I'm stressed or anxious about it, than try and calm my nerves by using a substance to calm them.

I've learned through counseling to ask myself some questions...

What am I stressed or anxious about?

Why am I stressing over this?

What is the worst that can happen, if this happens or doesn't happen?

What makes me afraid of those things, that I'm worried or stressed over them?

I've learned that looking at the issues of why I'm stressed and can't relax, working through my own feelings about them helps me reach that calm place a whole lot faster and it lasts much longer, and I also sleep better than I ever did before.

 

[bwsmith]

A recent helpful resource I am reading is Will Medicine Stop the Pain? E. Fitzpatrick & L. Hendrickson, MD

 

[LadyFlynt]

Excellent, BJ! I think you hit things straight on!

 

[VaughanRSmith]

My wife and I don't drink, and my wife is on medication. The difference is, a person who suffers from anxiety is always in a different state of mind. In order for them to actually have a normal state of mind the medication must be taken. This is definitely the state with my wife, believe me when I say if she could come off her medication we would do it in a flash.

We don't drink because our friends have drinking problems.

I think there is a big difference there.

 

[MrMerlin777]

When I was stationed on board ship I had a rather massive "nervous breakdown"(for lack of a better discription). So much so they had to give me orders off of the ship. For awhile after that I was on several meds(though I'm not now) and under the care of a Psychiatrist as well. Around the same time I also blew a disc in my back between the 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae. So now I was not only mentaly confused from the breakdown but also in EXTREEME pain from the disc. It took the Navy medical system awhile to schedule me for surgery (not unlike military medicine) and frankly, durring that time if I hadn't had the meds Psychotropics and Painkillers (strongly narcotic), as well as the ocassional beer and wine, I would have been a screaming ball curled up on the floor 24/7.

All of these things (drink & drugs) have their good and bad sides and good and bad applications. The problem does not lie in their use, but in the abuse of such things.

 

[LadyFlynt]

All of these things (drink & drugs) have their good and bad sides and good and bad applications. The problem does not lie in their use, but in the abuse of such things.

For those that may take offense (or get defensive) because I stated an issue with psychotropic drugs...let me clarify.

The issues I see are the abuse of the medical establishment in passing them out (many times, I believe they do it just to see the side effects...read on). The other is that they admit they don't fully understand how they work and therefore the reason they are unable to predict many of the reactions the drug will cause until those effects have been seen in patients. Due to the "rushing" of drugs by the FDA in recent years, many of the "guinea pigs" are the patients themselves. I have also seen the abuse in high lawsuit areas. Easier to give a patient a script to knock them out than to actually diagnose the problem. I've known an OB/GYN who told me that all women should be on prozac, women love him because he gives them prozac. The other abuse would be as BJ stated...ppl not willing to work through their issues. Generally the usage is supposed to be temporary.

So please understand that being leary of them is not a criticism of the ppl that might truely need them.


The conflict seen with the "tee-tollers" is that they will rant against the evils of even moderate occassion glasses of wine or beer, yet abuse the drugs...because it comes in a prescribed form.

 

[Augusta]

I used to be totally against psychotropic drugs but having to deal with my son's ASD (autism spectrum disorder) has changed my thinking. I agree with Colleen and BJ that people should look at root causes first and change behavior or environment first before taking meds. However, since dealing first hand with a person who has neurological issues that directly affect their behavior and coming to understand that ASD behaviors are just regular behaviors magnified. We all have our quirks and they are what make us all individuals, however neurological issues are on the rise and more and more people are displaying psychological issues due to those neurological abnormalities.

You can have full blown austim or just be a little OCD. All Autism is, is severe OCD disorder. It's a little more complex than OCD but the outcome of it is essentially the same. We all have our obsessions but when they become all consuming to the detriment of all else and you are in your own little world then you are diagnosed with autism. But what if you are in between full blown autism and just OCD about a few things? What if you have anxiety on a lot larger scale than the normal and it becomes paralyzing. These things are real and they are not just because the person needs to straighten up. It's neurological and chemical and they can't just will their brain to function correctly.

I wonder if it's just part of the downward spiral of humanity toward the end. We are circling the drain so to speak. The next generation is only going to get worse. So many kids are born now with one disorder or another and, yes, they are responsible for their behavior and it is their cross to bare. I am not saying this by way of an excuse for anything. We have original sin and we can't look to that for an excuse either and say poor me, but some people need that edge taken off because it's just too much. It's not just typical anger, it's not just your typical anxiety, it's not just your typical obessive compulsive disorder is magnified to the extent that it is eclipsing everything else.

I don't take these types of drugs but my son does. He just can't concentrate to do academics through the quagmire that is his mind. He would just draw roads all day, or now it's mailboxes, hundreds and hundreds of these drawings all over the house if I didn't throw them away regularly.

Yes, drugs are given out like candy these days, totally. However, yes, there are times that they are necessary.

 

[MrMerlin777]

For those that may take offense (or get defensive) because I stated an issue with psychotropic drugs...let me clarify.

The issues I see are the abuse of the medical establishment in passing them out (many times, I believe they do it just to see the side effects...read on). The other is that they admit they don't fully understand how they work and therefore the reason they are unable to predict many of the reactions the drug will cause until those effects have been seen in patients. Due to the "rushing" of drugs by the FDA in recent years, many of the "guinea pigs" are the patients themselves. I have also seen the abuse in high lawsuit areas. Easier to give a patient a script to knock them out than to actually diagnose the problem. I've known an OB/GYN who told me that all women should be on prozac, women love him because he gives them prozac. The other abuse would be as BJ stated...ppl not willing to work through their issues. Generally the usage is supposed to be temporary.


The conflict seen with the "tee-tollers" is that they will rant against the evils of even moderate occassion glasses of wine or beer, yet abuse the drugs...because it comes in a prescribed form.

I have certainly not taken any offense. And I seldom get defensive.

Grace and peace.

 

[VaughanRSmith]

For those that may take offense (or get defensive) because I stated an issue with psychotropic drugs...let me clarify.

The issues I see are the abuse of the medical establishment in passing them out (many times, I believe they do it just to see the side effects...read on). The other is that they admit they don't fully understand how they work and therefore the reason they are unable to predict many of the reactions the drug will cause until those effects have been seen in patients. Due to the "rushing" of drugs by the FDA in recent years, many of the "guinea pigs" are the patients themselves. I have also seen the abuse in high lawsuit areas. Easier to give a patient a script to knock them out than to actually diagnose the problem. I've known an OB/GYN who told me that all women should be on prozac, women love him because he gives them prozac. The other abuse would be as BJ stated...ppl not willing to work through their issues. Generally the usage is supposed to be temporary.

So please understand that being leary of them is not a criticism of the ppl that might truely need them.


The conflict seen with the "tee-tollers" is that they will rant against the evils of even moderate occassion glasses of wine or beer, yet abuse the drugs...because it comes in a prescribed form.

Don't worry, I didn't take any offence at all. I can see my post could be taken in a defensive/offended manner and I apologise. It wasn't my intention.

 

[bwsmith]

My wife and I don't drink, and my wife is on medication. The difference is, a person who suffers from anxiety is always in a different state of mind. In order for them to actually have a normal state of mind the medication must be taken. This is definitely the state with my wife, believe me when I say if she could come off her medication we would do it in a flash.

We don't drink because our friends have drinking problems.

I think there is a big difference there.

I pray that God delivers your dear wife! Would you consider reading this resource?
Will Medicine Stop the Pain? There were some insights in coping with anxiety – a very real problem! (And NO – they don’t say just quit meds!)

 

[LadyFlynt]

Oh good...I was hoping I wouldn't be taken wrong...thank you!

 

[BJClark]

LadyFlynt;

The other abuse would be as BJ stated...ppl not willing to work through their issues. Generally the usage is supposed to be temporary.

This is the biggest problem I have with both, the drinking to relax AND the use of medications to relax...even those who drink to relax aren't trying to find out why they can't, it's just as easy to pour a glass of booze as it is to pop a pill and get the 'feeling' of relaxation. But the underlying issues of why they are stressed to begin with still aren't being addressed.

And eventually, both can become a problem where their bodies 'need' more of the alcohol or drug to get to that relaxed state.

When I took the wellbutrin, it was a counselor who recommended I take them, but she wouldn't prescribe them, she told me go to my family doctor and talk to him, and the only way he would prescribe them was if I came in once a month, and continued in counseling, he even said he would not prescribe them if I was not in counseling dealing with the underlying issues. (too bad he retired, he was an awesome doctor, we need more like him)