Posted by Simcha on August 22, 2001, at 8:23:47
In reply to Re: JUST FOR TODAY, posted by triedit on August 22, 2001, at 8:01:24
Yes,
I do agree, we are all responsible for our own recovery. I need to question the therapy that my doctor offers and I need to consider my options.
After 10 years of therapy and 5 years of the 12-steps I was still majorly depressed. I tried all of the spiritual solutions I could think of. Medication had been suggested many times before and I fought it tooth and nail.
This past January I was in such a deep dark hole that I finally was willing to try anything to get out. Effexor came to the rescue, after a whole bunch of arguing with my therapist and a major resistance on my part. Now I see that even after changing my behavior, I still have a chemical imbalance that, for now, only medication seems to restore. I still seek therapy. I go to meetings. I work on my end of it. I let the medication work on the physical/medical side of it.
Depression for me has it's roots in a medical/physical condition. By doing therapy and the 12-steps I whacked away at the leaves and the branches of my depression. Until I got meds the roots were always there to grow another tree of depression. Now the meds have gotten to the roots and I can attend to my life more effectively. In my case, until something better comes along, I will not live without my medication. I have come to accept that. It is not addiction for me. It is a free choice to live a life worth living.
> In Rosa's (semi?) defense...
>
> Not all doctors are on-track. We all have to be aware and responsible for our own use of medication. There are some psych drugs that are definitely addictive--in the physcial sense as well as the spiritual. Xanax is a prime example. Personally I believe that when we use this sort of drug INSTEAD OF doing the work of therapy and fixing our own lives, then there is an addiction issue. I'm in no way suggesting that we should all stop our drugs because of addiction.
>
> In the insulin sense, yes I believe that can be an addiction of sorts as well--my father uses his insulin more than he should because he refuses to alter his diet. If he would alter his diet he could reduce his use of his insulin. In the same light, if someone can 'fix' parts of thier life in therapy and get off some of the tranq's then that person may need to think about the addiction issue.
>
> Personally, I don't think Rosa meant any harm. And I think we all need to look at why we take our meds. Many, many people on this board need thier meds to live. But who's to say there isnt someone out there who found a doc who said "oh you are a little stressed out, take this for awhile". It happens every day.
poster:Simcha
thread:75755
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010822/msgs/75913.html