4 ms·
> suffering from mental illness and taking daily mediation without a prescription The reality, given what we know about Nixon, is likely simpler: he was drunk.
by dionidium 8y ago
> suffering from mental illness and taking daily mediation without a prescription
The reality, given what we know about Nixon, is likely simpler: he was drunk.
https://www.alternet.org/drugs/huge-role-alcohol-has-played-oval-office https://www.alternet.org/drugs/huge-role-alcohol-has-played-...
- jacobush 8y agoWell, this is difficult. See, people handle drunkenness differently. Churchill reportedly could down a decent amount without losing his wits.
- philwelch 8y agoChurchill was an alcoholic, not a drunk. It’s a fine distinction, but that distinction is exactly this. Churchill continually drank just enough alcohol to prevent withdrawal symptoms but rarely got truly drunk.
- jasonm23 8y agoRelevant. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/11380891/Churchills-drinking-was-one-thing-but-what-about-his-drug-taking.html https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/11380891/C...
- philwelch 8y agoAs shocking as Churchill's apparent regimen of barbiturates and amphetamines might seem, aside from the transition for barbiturates to benzos (which the article mentions), that's not too different from some of the more common psychiatric medications prescribed today. Sure, there's more of a formalized mental health process, where you have to be diagnosed with "anxiety" or "ADD", but that's largely because we now have, perhaps, a more systemic understanding of what conditions can be effectively treated this way. To name another well-known user of prescription stimulants, Paul Erdos seems like a perfect example of someone with adult ADD decades before adult ADD was recognized as a real condition.