Xannax

[Begs]

I suppose the irony that two of the most addictive drugs around - alcohol and tobacco - are legal and freely available in most places has not escaped most of us.

With the greatest respect to the guys on the forum who fought and won their addiction battles, their stories pale a bit in comparison to the absolute ###### hard-core alcoholics go through when detoxing.

Alcohol, both socially and physically, stands out on its own as the most destructive of all drugs. It ruins more lives, breaks up more families, kills more people (road accidents for example), and causes more irrational and violent behaviour in a day than all other commonly used legal and illegal drugs combined have ever done. Ask any doctor.

Sorry, I just find it a little hypocritical when someone is talking about the evil of drugs and lowlife drug users between gulps and beer and drags on cigarettes .

A distinction should be drawn between use and abuse of drugs (both legal and illegal) as should the distinction between mental addiction and physical addiction to drugs (both legal and illegal).

I find the warning about not taking valium or xanax because you'll surely become an addict trite and insulting. It's like not offering someone a beer because in case they become an alcoholic.

Anyway, I'll shut up now

No have your say, its a forum.

I advise people not to take them long term, because they will have problems, if you disagree with me, take them for 2 months, then stop abruptly, then come back here and tell me about it.

I did not abuse Valium, no more than the old lady who has taken them for 35 years abuses them, as stated most people become addicted to Benzo's after being prescribed them by their Doctor. Taking them is no problem, its the withdrawal that is the problem. If you think that withdrawal from Benzo's is easy, then with all respect, you do not know what you are talking about.

Regarding Alcohol, Valium is a drug that is widely used in the treatment of Alcoholism, in fact many hard drinkers will drop a few valium following a big drinking session, it calms them down, soothes the shattered nerves so to speak. But beware the Valium does not become the replacement.

If you find my posts trite and insulting, that is your opinion, i can only assume that you are taking them and are fully in control of the situation and if you stop taking them you will be the person that has no withdrawal effects. Good, i wish i could be like that, but i was not. I can only speak from personal experience, what are you speaking from?

If you think i am being insulting by warning people of the very real dangers of these drugs when taken regular over a period of time, then you should read the indications issued by the drug companies that will warn of the addictive nature of the drugs.

Good luck anyway.

[philmac]

Hi Begs

A bit of a misunderstanding. My post was not directed at you personally, and I apologise for any misunderstanding in that regard.

But why are you presuming I am addicted to valium just because I have an opinion about it?

I have taken valium on and off for years. Mainly to relax during flights and occassionally combined to with a couple of beers after a late shift so I could get to sleep at a resonable hour.

Outside this occassions I have never had any craving for it. I can't even remember the last time I took one. perhaps i'm already too laidback to require something that makes me more laid back.

It is all well and good to warn people about the dangers of things, but the point I was trying to make is that not everyone who starts using valium is going to end up in the same situation you ended up in, in the same way that everybody who starts drinking beer is going to end up a hopeless alcoholic.

It should also be mentioned that valium has numerous clinical applications beyound popping a No 10 and feeling at peace with the world. Taken in that context, it has probably helped a lot more people than it has harmed

I'd also be interested to hear your definition of abuse. If at some stage you were taking valium for the sole reason of curing the way you felt by not taking it, then by definition your were abusing the drug because you were not taking it for its intended purpose.

[stroll]

I agree with most of what you say, Philmac. But let's draw some distinctions here. For one, most people consider taking drugs prescribed by their doctor as legitimate, not as abuse, right or wrong, it definatly is legal. But I have not read begs supporting this, he is critical of doctors prescibing addictive substances so widely, I think. Let's not get into a fight over people's motives for having taken drugs. I agree entirely that the legal framework is somewhat out of touch with reality, but this is not a reason to get angry with posters who warn about the dangers, nor to beat addicts of any desciption with a stick in this discussion.

Valium-alcohol. Read my post above for how you might feel when you stop from high doses of Valium (30mg) after 2 months. I wouldn't expect the same after stopping to have my pint in the evening.

Some drugs are more subtle than others, I wouldn't drink a bottle of whiskey everyday for 2 months.

More about alcohol in a related thread we had recently.

Edited July 13, 2004 by stroll

[stroll]

Is any of this Thailand related? Yes, it is, because this is one of the countries where you can buy a variety of prescription drugs over the counter.

[cobra]

Alcohol, both socially and physically, stands out on its own as the most destructive of all drugs. It ruins more lives, breaks up more families, kills more people (road accidents for example), and causes more irrational and violent behaviour in a day than all other commonly used legal and illegal drugs combined have ever done. Ask any doctor.

Sorry, I just find it a little hypocritical when someone is talking about the evil of drugs and lowlife drug users between gulps and beer and drags on cigarettes .

A distinction should be drawn between use and abuse of drugs

I thought no one was ever going to mention the elephant in the room ...

Thanx philmac,