Addictions

Have you ever known someone who had a drinking problem, a drug problem, or a smoking problem? Is it okay to have one drink or a few drinks or none at all?  Is it okay to be taking prescription drugs but not illegal ones?  Either way, these addictions can be very difficult to break, not to mention tough on the people & family involved.  Not too long ago, someone I know went into a drug rehab facility due to problems with smoking marijuana.  This is a person who started out taking Ritalin early on in life and then it progressed to Prozac.  Later, they switched to marijuana and it ultimately landed them in a drug rehab facility for short-term treatment of addiction.

This person spent pretty much their entire life taking some sort of medication to control their mood and attitude.  They essentially have relied on outside sources, in the form of medication, to control their mind instead of learning how to deal with things on their own.  As a young child, what did these drugs do to a developing brain?  Ritalin & Prozac are given to control chemical imbalances, but do these drugs actually cause imbalances as well?  Is a child hyperactive because of a chemical imbalance or because of an attention issue, or family/parenting issue or something else? Are they taught to rely on these medications instead of figuring out things on their own and learning to adapt in some other way?

I really never understand why it’s okay to teach someone that Ritalin & Prozac are fine to be on, yet marijuana or other illegal drugs are not. Just because it is illegal doesn’t really make it more dangerous, it’s still a drug to change the mind just like prescription ones.  Maybe if it were converted to prescription pot then people would think it’s okay to take, I’m not sure. It doesn’t make any sense to me; it’s totally sending a mixed message.  Instead, I think it’s important to learn ways to adapt and deal with these issues, whether it’s through therapy, exercise, nutrition, or even specific brain exercises.

I’ve written before about the Brain Balance center, where thousands of people have gone to correct these chemical imbalances without medication.  I’ve personally seen change in kids in our office who have undergone care at these centers, and its pretty amazing.  It’s definitely something worth looking into and hopefully this person will. 

Remember that stress is everywhere; no one escapes it.  The trick is to learn how to deal with it and not worry about things you cannot control. If a person can learn how to adapt to it without medications, then I truly believe their long-term health will be much better than someone relying on drugs (prescription or illegal) to control their thoughts.  Just my opinion.