Postcards from the Funny Farm

More people were using Prozac in the 1990’s than aspirin. It was the pop drug of choice for millions of mental health caregivers. Was all that prescribing warranted? We found that Prozac caused suicides and a set of other mental health impairments that were just as bad as depression if not worse. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Prozac is a bad drug or even a dangerous drug. What I am saying is that we were abusing it as a society and some might argue it’s even worse now in the 2000’s. You see these cure-alls all over the place and some of them are effective but not much as they say (like for example colon cleanser for weight loss.)

So what about our drug these days? What are we using as a cure-all? The answer is: Xanax. Xanax shows up in my spam box about 100 times a day along with the other spam. We all get them and if you’re like me, delete them in the bulk folder of your email program. So why is Xanax so alluring? Simple … it’s a powerful tranquilizer that knocks you out. If your doctor has prescribed you Xanax, I am sure he/she had good reason but before you start popping pills to chill yourself out, consider the fact that it IS habit forming and you could get addicted. It can be possible to find calm and happiness without medication (though at time meds are the only way).

While I am a proponent of medication to balance ones brain chemicals, I feel strongly these drugs are over prescribed. To protect yourself you need to learn what makes you happy and what you enjoy. Those should be the first line of defense against anxiety. Your doctor should tell you that, but most pdocs do not. Unfortunately you have to do your own research on how to quell your anxiety before you visit the pdoc. It wouldn’t hurt to give them the benefit of the doubt and see them before you explore natural ways of calm, but rest assured, Xanax is only a short term cure for anxiety. When your body builds up a tolerance, then what?

*caveat: J has reminded us that Xanax is likely not addictive when prescribed in the correct way and dosage. I was referring to people who abuse it with or without a prescription. Even pdocs make mistakes so do what is right for you after getting educaated on what you put into your delicate brain chemistry. Thanks J.

I was thinking this afternoon about that story “The Gift of the Magi.” I think it’s a work of pure genius. If you don’t recall, it’s the story where the poor couple sells something they value to buy the other something special. The man sells his pocketwatch to buy her combs for her long flowing brown hair. She cuts her hair to sell it and buy her husband a chain for his pocketwatch. Ultimately neither can use their gifts and all their money is spent.

Everyone I’ve been talking to lately, it seems, is in a similar situation. I talked to a woman the other day I work with who needed her brakes done. She paid someone to come over and do them and he skipped town. Sad. She’s a single mom living off an hourly wage. I know people biting their nails because the recession threatens to put them out of work. I look at the gas pump prices every day and get more and more amazed. They are showing nearly $4 a gallon. And that brings to mind Iraq. I found a blog in my travels yesterday that had a spinning ticker showing the cost in Iraq. I think it was in the trillions, it was a LOT of numbers.

So how do we stay sane and happy in this kind of situation? Well, it isn’t easy. Maybe the answer is to accept our insanity instead of denying it. Maybe being insane is a part of being human. Most famous people I look up to were at one time seen as “out there.” Einstein said that being crazy was a normal part of life. At any rate, we can’t assume all this stuff is normal and we can’t assume that it is going to ever change. At the end of my rope, I think about the couple in the Gift of the Magi. What did they do after they discovered their misgivings? The story stops short of telling us. I think that is on purpose. It reveals your character to imagine something next. As for me? I say they cried tears of laughter, hugged each other, made peanut butter and jelly (since that is all they had) and then made love. Hey, why not? Like Guns and Roses said in the late 80’s “Use your illusion.” That’s my story and I am stickin’ to it. Now I am off to laugh, even despite the gas pumps and everything else going down.