Feeling Anxious, Depressed? Prescription Drug Addiction Isn’t The Solution

How many times have you heard, “Nobody said life was easy” or “Nobody said life was fair.” When it comes to living life, we all know there are ups and downs. But for thousands of Americans, dealing with those ups and downs is leading to drug dependence and even outright prescription drug addiction, not what anyone’s looking for as an answer to life’s problems.

There’s a growing concern these days that many doctors are too quick with a diagnosis of ‘depression’ or ‘anxiety’, and far too quick with their prescription pads. Nearly 20 million adult men and women are living with a medical diagnosis of depression and taking powerful antidepressants -- drugs which can lead to dependence and even prescription drug addiction.

Even more millions are popping anti-anxiety drugs every time they’re feeling out of sorts, also risking physical drug dependence or outright prescription drug addiction.

Dozens upon dozens of psychoactive medications are being pushed on Americans as the solution to simple everyday feelings of frustration, annoyance or depression -- problems that, in earlier generations, were known to be fleeting, and just part of life.

In earlier decades, the idea of taking psychoactive drugs and risking prescription drug addiction, for what were seen as ‘normal temporary feelings’, was unheard of. If things got really rough and tough, people turned to work, hobbies, family members, friends, clergy and caring physicians to help change the conditions that were causing the emotional problems.

Because there are no scientific tests that can actually diagnose mental anxiety, depression, or any other mental condition, and no one has a clue what the cause is, there is no pill that cures these conditions. All that the drugs do is mess with your brain chemistry and nervous system to mask the real reasons for depression or anxiety.

And the drugs prescribed for depression and anxiety all have unacceptable side effects for most people. They create even worse symptoms than the depression or anxiety for many. Many such drugs can rapidly lead to not only physical dependence, where stopping them creates withdrawal symptoms, but also to addiction, where people will go to any lengths to get them to feel high or euphoric -- or even just normal.

Today, in our ‘there’s a drug for everything’ culture, millions of Americans don’t want to, or can’t, deal with even simple problems, without reaching for a pill bottle. The result is an over-medicated society, with tens of thousands of people suffering from prescription drug dependence and prescription drug addiction.

For them, the only sane solution is a visit to a medical drug detox clinic to get off the drugs as quickly and safely as possible, and get a back to a drug-free life.

Rod MacTaggart is a freelance writer that contributes articles on health.