4 ms·

>"But if you are close to someone who is a user, over the long run you will notice differences. Sometimes its just that they don't have the same spark." The lo

>"But if you are close to someone who is a user, over the long run you will notice differences. Sometimes its just that they don't have the same spark." The loss of a spark can happen regardless of drug use. Work in an unsupportive environment over a long period of time, a breakup, or the failure to achieve a long-sought goal can cause a person to change over time. In addition, the underlying condition that the medication is treating may cause the effect, which could have been worse had the medication not been prescribed. It's plausible that medications may have understudied long-term effects, but there are too many confounding causes to attribute a behavioral change to long-term medication use.

mikercampbell 4y ago
As someone who has had a long time relationship with Xanax, it quite literally saved my life. I was prescribed it for chronic nausea, and was 40lbs below my ideal weight. I've never been tempted to take any more than my prescribed dose, and so it's been a "healthy" relationship, but I'm working to discontinue my prescription for reasons other than this article. Not to be one of those "well, I use it and I'm fine and aren't tempted", on the contrary - I understand fully why people would feel the tugs of addiction. It's hard because I know I have an uphill battle to go. I use therapy and have seen benefits from psychedelics and medicinal cannabis, but it's literally a "pick your poison" battle. But also, it's hard to have a spark when you're not able to live a normal life without assistance. But in hindsight, I can see that this route has had it's costs and I'm excited to see who I am independent of it.