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.
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.
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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!
ReplyDeleteI 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 :)
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 :)
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Emilie
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 :)
ReplyDeleteNo 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.
ReplyDeleteI 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!
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.
ReplyDeleteI 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
ReplyDelete