Sunday, July 25, 2010

day 20 : your views on drugs and alcohol



I've never tried any illegal drugs in my life. I haven't ever really had the desire, and I wouldn't know where to get any even if I wanted to. I work in a pharmacy, so I also see every day what addictions to prescription drugs can do to people. I hate the idea of taking any kind of medication, so I usually avoid taking anything for headaches, or a cold, or simple little things like that. I hate the idea of taking medications for mood or anything emotional because I feel like those types of medications numb people so they can avoid dealing with their problems. I only take the medications that I need to for my arthritis, and I even dislike taking those, but without them I can hardly walk.

(during my first drinking experience in Venezuela)

I grew up with an alcoholic parent (he is 100% better now, sober for many years) so I have witnessed first-hand how things can get out of control with alcohol. I have only had drinks when I was in Venezuela (where I was of legal drinking age), if my mom gave them to me on a holiday, or at one party for New Years' Eve. I am a goody-two-shoes and I don't like to break the law, so I am staying away until I turn 21. I don't intend on drinking often because a) I am not supposed to drink while on the medication methotrexate (for rheumatoid arthritis) and b) I know that children of alcoholics are at a higher risk of becoming one themselves, and I will not let that happen. My dad struggled for a long time with this problem and I know he would never want to see me become a victim to it.

6 comments:

  1. I love reading your answers to these questions and a couple others as well! I love to see how different everyones views and opinions are!
    I find your opinion on this topic very interesting, and although I don't agree 100%, you make a really good point.
    As for me, I suffer from severe depression and therefore take medication to help control my moods and emotions.
    You said without your medication you can hardly walk and that must be horrible. I can imagine you experience lots of pain because of it :(
    Well, without my medication, I tend to self-injure in the form of cutting my wrists. Thats how uncontrollable my emotions are without my medication.
    I'm certainly not trying to come down on you, but I was just wondering why it is that you don't believe in taking meds for emotions and moods? Once again, I am in NO way coming against you, I just love hearing people's opinions on this type of thing :)

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  2. Hey! Thank you for the comment! :) I am so happy you asked about that, because I didn't realize that I may have come off as judgemental until I just re-read what I wrote... so thank you! I feel uncomfortable with the thought of ME taking medications for that purpose because I like to imagine that I could handle the problems myself, no matter how hard they are. I do realize that I probably can never understand exactly why someone would take those medications until I am faced with the need to take them myself. Sometimes people have problems that are way too overwhelming to handle on their own. I am so freaked out by the idea of taking medicine, though, so I would probably still try to avoid it at all costs if I could, by convincing myself that I was fine. I am just weird, I guess ;P I don't even like taking allergy medicine. But again, thank you for asking me about this so I could clarify what I meant, and I'm sorry if I came off as rude or ignorant about it. I totally respect that you choose to use the medication to help you, and I am glad that it works for you! We all gotta do what works for us :)

    xoxo,
    Emilie

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  3. Thanks for your response! I was afraid that you would think I was trying to start a fight or something, ha! But yes, you make another good point. We certainly cannot understand things until we face them ourselves. And you made a really good point about people using those meds to numb themselves so they don't have to deal, and I will admit that I went through that phase. I just didn't want to feel any emotions because I was hurting so bad emotionally. But now I'm in a much better place and I certainly no longer agree with taking meds in order to avoid dealing with your problems because even though dealing is hard sometimes, you feel so much better in the end :)

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  4. No no no! I would have never thought you were starting a fight, just expressing your opinion :) I really hope that I am never faced with a situation that is impossible for me to deal with on my own, but I suppose if that day were ever to come, I would need to come to terms with my own weakness and realize that everyone needs a little help sometimes. I am a stubborn person and I don't like asking for help. Perhaps I should learn to do so more often.

    I think working at the pharmacy has kind of ruined my opinion of medicine because I see so many people abusing painkillers and whatnot. But I also am amazed at what medicine can do for people who struggle with many kinds of diseases every day. I'm kind of back and forth with how I feel about it all the time. I wish there was a way to do something about the people I know who are abusing/selling their meds, but there isn't really a way for me to do that without losing my job. It's just a bummer!

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  5. I have an alcoholic parent, too. I know all too well about the devastating effects alcohol has on a family. My doctor prescribed me Ambien because I was having trouble sleeping and I have only taken 2 pills over the months. It's scary. My pills usually just sit in the medicine cabinet and expire.

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  6. I am lucky none of my parents are into drugs or alcohol. They just smoke A LOT. But my friends are getting too much alcohol into their systems recently, party and all those. So I kind of thought it would be better if I lay low from them for the mean time

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