Is it normal to be medicated

So it seems that everything that was once criminalized or shamed is now the new normal. Doctors are so quick to prescribe pills to mask an underlying issue. We are worked to the bone and raised in a system that forces us to conform and all be the same. To sit children down for hours at a time and force feed them to learn and read material structured for their age group and if they don't pass satisfactorily, the are reprimanded. We are constantly examined and ranked and measured against one another, but somehow forced to accept ourselves and be accepting of others. Even collectively the school systems are graded and ranked accordingly and can value or devalue neighborhoods. So we are basically preprogrammed to compete with each other and jump through all the hoops. No wonder we all self medicate. It's not normal to expect 25 kids to sit still and read a book or pay attention for 6 straight hours with one teacher monitoring them all for only 30-40k/year when the average fucking home is at least $400k. And now kids are shooting their teachers. And now we're adults and the game keeps going. Get a job, pay your taxes, get a house, buy a car, get married settle down, have some kids. Why aren't you having kids? Conform mother fuckers!!!! Confoooorrrrmmmm!!!

meth/coke/heroin/adderall/fentinyl 1
who's totally sober 8
who smokes weed 1
who drinks 2
who's on anti depressants 7
and finally who does all or at least 2 of these choices? 4
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Comments ( 53 )
  • bbrown95

    I do think that the diagnosing every little idiosyncrasy as a mental illness or learning disability and prescribing psychiatric drugs has gone overboard in recent years, personally.

    I was unfortunately prescribed SSRIs in my early teens and they did absolutely nothing good for me and instead, gave me a ton of negative side effects (extreme fatigue and irritability, slowed metabolism and weight gain, depression to the point of suicidal thoughts, lack of focus, etc.) and severely affected my life in a very negative way during my teen years. I'm absolutely not saying everyone shares this experience and that they're completely bad, but I know a lot of people who have very similar experiences to mine, and I've seen and heard about the things doctors are quick to prescribe psych meds for that seem to be more of an environmental/personal life issue than a result of a brain chemistry imbalance. Of course, I'm no doctor myself, but it seems the mental health crisis is only getting worse, not better, with the current way of doing things, and I'm thinking society has gone too far with diagnoses and prescriptions as well.

    It seems that rather than talking through issues and developing a plan to help people work through them, most doctors want to medicate. I completely understand that some things *do* require medication in order to be treated, but this is also happening with minor issues that have more to do with the person's environment or personal life, things that are simply a part of life (such as the awkwardness and self consciousness that often comes with puberty, experiencing anxiety within a normal realm and under understandable conditions, etc.), or even things that are 100% normal and should NOT be changed (I've even heard of recommendations for SSRIs to help overcome fear of participating in activities with a certain element of risk to them; that is 1000000% normal and your brain's way of preventing you from endangering/killing yourself, not to mention that isn't at all what SSRIs are designed for).

    What concerns me most is that people seem to lose sight of the fact that these are mind-altering drugs and they can cause serious harm if practically handed out like candy to anyone with a problem in their life. They seem to be viewed almost as cure-alls.

    What I've always wondered as well is, whose definition of "normal" is correct? I was considered abnormal because I couldn't read people as well at age 12 as an adult could. What child can!? Funnily enough, now I am told I am excellent at reading people. 🀣 It was as if I was expected to act like a mini 35-year-old, not my actual age of 12 at the time. I was also considered abnormal because I experienced self consciousness and insecurity while going through puberty, and experienced anxiety about very normal things (one being that I had an aging grandparent whose health was failing, and I was very worried about it; what kind of sociopath would consider that abnormal!?). I would like to ask these so-called "professionals" who think like this, exactly what kid going through puberty DOESN'T experience these feelings? What person with a family member that isn't doing well ISN'T anxious about it? So, whose definition of "normal" is textbook and "correct"? What one person grows up with as "normal" is entirely different from another, and no two people are exactly alike. So does everyone that even slightly deviates from one shrink's version of "normal" have a mental illness?

    Also, if someone is a bit different, yet it isn't negatively affecting their life, what is the point of medicating it? One entire side of my family has always been known for being "a different breed", yet they have also always been known for leading very successful and happy lives, are excellent in business as well as social and personal relationships, etc. I fail to see the issue with merely being different, and really resent the idea that there is one way and one way only, when every person's view of what is normal is different.

    I did have a teacher that told most of the parents of the kids in my class that they should consider getting their kids prescribed Adderall, too. That's a complete shame to me. In no way should the majority of a class of third graders need psychiatric drugs, let alone the same one. Seemed like more of an issue with her poor teaching and leadership skills than with the kids' mental health (and she was terminated about a year later, thankfully).

    Sorry to go off on a mile long tangent, but this subject strikes a chord with me, if you couldn't already tell. 🀣 Just in case it was missed before, too: I'm in no way saying the psychology/psychiatry industry and their methods of treatment are all bad, just that I think some of it is overdone and I think there's a better middle ground than what is presently popular.

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  • LloydAsher

    I'm totally sober. I dont do drugs besides my prescription of hormones that I cant produce on my own.

    I dont like drinking, cant do drugs because I wanna be employed. Yeah I'm boring but that just decreases my chances of dying stupidly in my state by 500%

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    • AsterBean

      I'm boring too. No drugs, only the occasional half glass of wine. I gave up caffeine. And the last prescription I took was an antibiotic. I hated it. And I guess I do take tylenol when my head hurts. But that's hardly masking a shitty life. When I am stressed, I exercise and play outside. Nature is my drug of choice.

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      • LloydAsher

        Oh we are including caffeine as a drug. I mean of course it's a drug but that's like asking if you take tylenol for a headache.

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        • lloydAsher. No. Caffeine is not considered a drug. I didn't put that on the poll.

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    • I replied to your comment LloydAsher but it put the comment under AsterBean.

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    • I guess it depends where you live because weed is legal in a few states which makes you employable in those states. It's just like alcohol where you can't do it on the job. And if the hormones you're referring to are dopamine's or serotonin, it's still considered a drug. I was prescribed an ssri for my anxiety which I believe stemmed from the chemical imbalance brought on by my birth control and it totally made me a zombie and stole my sex drive completely. I got off birth control and the ssri and I feel my sex drive is not the same.

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      • LloydAsher

        The dot are sticklers about weed. Even if you take it in your off time it's a zero tolerance kind of thing. Urine tests keep a good chunk of the workforce out of trucking. They've been dragging their feet on allowing saliva tests by a year.

        As for homeones I mean testasterone as my balls dont work. It's a steroid that i cant buy in bulk and just keep on hand. I need a prescription because laws. It's super mundane

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  • normal-rebellious

    I think somebody's on antidepressants, also we can't be forced to all be the same, that's an issue for normals, and not for weird, quirky and interesting people, I think it's like a bunch of chimps sitting in chairs all day in classrooms, going to school, listening to the teacher, who goes to work, all mimicking all the other children, one weird kid among them all, resulting in pain and trouble up to adulthood from the worker for acting weird, it's far worse in adulthood, when they scare you for being abnormal in general, school just stops at weirdness, but I suppose teachers aren't normal people, their conversations are to teach you, so you learn.

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  • Meowypowers

    We could be poking eachother with sticks

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  • dude_Jones

    You need to choose
    β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”-
    Choose life.
    Choose a job.
    Choose a career.
    Choose a family,
    Choose a fucking big television
    Choose washing machines, cars,
    Compact disc players, and electrical tin openers.
    Choose good health, low cholesterol
    And dental insurance.
    Choose fixed-interest mortgage repayments.
    Choose a starter home.
    Choose your friends.
    Choose leisure wear and matching luggage.
    Choose a three piece suite on hire purchase
    In a range of fucking fabrics.
    Choose DIY and wondering who you
    Are on a Sunday morning.
    Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing
    Sprit-crushing game shows
    Stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth.
    Choose rotting away at the end of it all,
    Pishing you last in a miserable home
    Nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish,
    Fucked-up brats
    You have spawned to replace yourself.
    Choose your future. Choose life.

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    • that was....sort of inspirational and then ya lost me at the end...lol. I like junk food!! yolo!

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  • Anonnet

    Nice speech... not to say I disagree. I don't think the issue is competition, though, just the underlying system of constantly working in school. Most of it doesn't matter or go anywhere and you're not getting paid for it. Tests are stressful, college is worse, but you're expected to be happy to have the opportunity even though there are clearly better ways of doing it and we're too rigid to change anything. It's funny that you're often trained in school to ignore common sense when facts say otherwise, but when facts say the system should be changed, we fall back on common sense like "but tests prove that you learned!"

    Anyway, I'm not on any meds. Video games have always been and continue to be my anti-drug, even if escapism is questionable when it comes to whether it counts as self-medication.

    What kind of pisses me off is that I WANT to conform, but everything is making that hard. Prices for everything are through the roof, higher and higher levels of education are constantly needed for basic jobs, it's harder to meet people without going out of your way and scheduling it, having kids feels dumb unless I get all of the above sorted out but the time it takes to get that all sorted out keeps lengthening unless you rely more and more heavily on bigger and bigger loans. Not to mention spouses with good jobs.

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    • If video games keep you sane that's great!! I recently started playing again after like 25 years, but just the old school games from when I was a kid for nostalgia. Nothing new and crazy. Glad to hear there's more sober people than I thought. I guess I've always struggled with some sort of addiction and was on anti depressants for a while which helped for a while until they didn't. And yea I just don't understand how people can afford to have kids these days. Or plan for them with the state of the world. The only thing that makes sense is unplanned pregnancies... which I guess can't be reversed in some states now which is a whole new topic of debate. Good luck with conforming though if that's what you want. I'm sure it's a matter of time before the price of housing comes down.

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  • BleedingPain

    I had a nasty realization that I am in fact med dependent. Its not the same as drug addiction, no. But I had a breakdown for a hot second when I didnt take my medication for 2 days in a row.

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    • That sucks. I'm sorry you have to deal with that. Sounds scary.

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      • BleedingPain

        I had to go a few days without it because my insurance wouldnt approve brand coverage during a shortage, so I said fuck it. We gonna go a few days without it while my insurance gets its act together and fills out the right forms to have it approved.

        I have never felt more gaslighted by a company for refusing to pay $600 for a 30 day supply.

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        • Wow! What kinda meds do you take? That's a little steep!

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          • BleedingPain

            Stimulants (not adderall or Ritalin though) so naturally its a hot topic of β€œdo I really need these meds/ youre just faking it” and me trying to convince others how stimulants actually help improve my overall functionallity in life.

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  • ospry

    I remember in jr. high one of my friends making almost this exact same argument. Still reeks of teen angst

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    • That everyone is medicated if they don't conform? It's a valid observation with western medicine. They give kids meth if they act like kids. Riddilin is meth.

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      • bigbudchonger

        Ritalin is not meth. It's like equating opium to heroin.

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      • ospry

        The insistence that everyone is made to conform. Having kids is no longer the norm, or if it is, shitting on people for deciding to have kids is almost MORE normal

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        • HA!!! Conforming is being forced by taking away a woman's right to abort after an unwanted pregnancy. And shitting on people for deciding to have kids is ignorant. Japan is facing a crisis right now for people not having enough kids. They sell more adult diapers than baby diapers and they have a lot of older, non working adults with medical issues dependent on the younger working class. I choose to not have kids, but I'm not going to talk shit about people choosing to have them responsibly. We need kids.

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          • bigbudchonger

            Idk who you are, man, but you seem quite resonable, dude. I like this post and your replies in general. WE NEED KIDS DESPERATLY (in the west).

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            • Thank you. You seem reasonable as well. And honest. I appreciate it.

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          • ospry

            Umm...have you noticed how much backlash there's been against restrictions on abortion? How can you claim that everyone is demanding that you conform and have babies when the decision to NOT rip a fetus from someone's womb piece by piece while it's still alive is vilified on every front?

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            • States like Arkansas and Oklahoma are absolutely restricting any and all abortions even if the woman's life is at risk. Even by rape or incest.

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          • Meowypowers

            I dont think Japan is having a crises

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            • You can think whatever you want, but the facts are facts. Look it up if you don't believe me. It's become an inverted triangle with people living longer and not having kids. There is one elderly person for every two working class person.

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  • Ligeia

    Adderall in the same category as hard drugs? Srsly?

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    • it's meth. It's basically a controlled micro dose of meth, but plenty of people abuse it. It's the same chemical compounds. It can cause heart attack or stroke in adults.

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      • Ligeia

        Yah a controlled microdode of meth that is doled out by a Dr is not the same as like crystal meth. Not saying it doesn't have its risks or abuse potential but it's a whole different ballpark

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        • same ballpark, different sized ball being pitched. Someone using street meth would snort it or smoke it and in larger uncontrolled doses which affects the central nervous system faster and causes more of a high. Riddlin and Aderrall are of the same chemical compound, but given in micro doses to "cure" adhd. It can be abused and is highly abused in america.

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          • Ligeia

            That's all accurate but it's still a weird association to make. Adderall and Ritalin help thousands of people and street meth is good for no one. So it's a strange comparison. Of course there's a risk in taking any sort of stimulant.

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  • bigbudchonger

    I am offended, good sir. As a coke head I can tell you that I am not in the same category as meth or heroin!

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    • haha sorry. I sort of categorized them all as unregulated stimulants and then regulated stimulants that can be abused so I didn't have to make a mile long list on the poll. I've done both coke and meth many years ago and coke had an easy come down, but meth was like turbo speed ahead for like 12 hours. And if you're telling the truth I hope you're very careful. They seem to want to add fentanyl to every drug now days and people are overdosing.

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      • bigbudchonger

        I heard about the fentanyl thing from another user on this site; fortunately for me it seems to be a US thing mainly. Ye man, I'd never try meth; that shit sends people crrrrrrazy

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        • It's a real problem here. Last funeral I attended was accidental overdose of a friend that was just trying to have a weekend dose of coke, but it was laced with fentanyl. Where are you?

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          • bigbudchonger

            UK mate, Coke's laced with baby powder and low class amphetamines over here.

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  • LloydAsher

    Department of transportation. Anyone that drives a heavy vehicle on the highway is subject to their tight rule.

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  • So to the people who selected that they do at least 2 of the selections. Is it smoking weed and drinking? Or drinking and anti depressants? Curious..

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    • bigbudchonger

      I'm technically on 4 options, but I only take antidepressants because I have OCD

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      • Oh the coke guy! or gal? So were you prescribed the antidepressants before or after the using of cocaine? Because what if the OCD is actually a side affect of the coke usage? 4 is a lot. You sound like me now.

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        • bigbudchonger

          (Guy) "Because what if the OCD is actually a side affect of the coke usage" I'm quite astounded you said this. You've missed the nail by a millimitere. It was from MDMA; god I loved that stuff, but lord knows it did not love me.

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          • That's one I didn't try in my drug days. I wonder if your body just needs some time to recover? Or is OCD a permanent character trait somehow brought on by MDMA? Don't know much about either.

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            • bigbudchonger

              Well I gave it 7 years and I got a lot better, but I killed off enough braincells from the mdma orginally that it's given me permenant damage, which resulted in intrusive thought ocd. Still though, most people can enjoy even hard drugs and not fiend for them. If you haven't got an addictive personality then I really reccomend it, but get it in a pure form rather than pills if you can.

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  • I don't think people who choose to not drink are odd. Alcohol is a social lubricant because people want to interact without feeling awkward. The problem is it can become a trap. It always starts as fun, but can easily turn into a problem. Especially for people with addictive personalities like myself. And especially for women who have been taken advantage of when they had too much to drink like myself. Ugly guys love alcohol because it's the only way for them to get laid when the girl is passed out, (which is called rape btw for all the ugly bastards who stoop this low)
    You're right. In that people like to drink maybe with dinner or friends lightly and just for fun socially.
    And I hope you're right about people being moral and progressing in the future. We've come this far and it's taken thousands or maybe millions of years to populate the earth. We all need each other, but the governments want to turn us against each other and keep us behind their invisible lines that they drew. We all need each other for trade. War just doesn't make any sense at this point. That's a whole new topic though.

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  • Meowypowers

    Ya'll fuckin do a lot to not do a lot

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  • 1WeirdGuy

    Teachers make a bit more than 40k and the average home is a bit less than 400k. But yeah prices have gone up.

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    • I replied to your post, but it sent it to the bottom instead of under your comment.

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    • I was giving a national average of home price. Where I live the average home starts at $1,000,000. And teachers do make $40k depending on the district.

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    • LloydAsher

      Just waiting for that housing crash of 2008. Lot of people buying houses they cant afford.

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