Is it normal to use valium instead of alcohol to reduce stress?

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17 Comments

I don't drink alcohol like everyone else I know. Nor do I smoke (cigarettes OR weed). Instead, if I'm uncomfortably stressed about something, I use Valium. I go through about about 50 x 5mg tablets a year, i.e. about one per week, and that's probably an overestimate. I am extremely careful not to overindulge because I know it is highly addictive. I've done this for 20 years. It has a lower mortality rate than alcohol, it's better for my liver, it's cheaper and it has no calories. Yet the same people who have multiple glasses of wine or beer every night after work often judge me harshly for this. I don't think that's fair.

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64% Normal
Based on 53 votes (34 yes)
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Comments ( 17 )
  • Angel_in_a_Glass_Dress
    11 years ago

    Personally ... I look at it as all the same.

    booze, pills, weed - it's all using a drug to reduce stress.

    Why not consider actually addressing the SOURCE of the stress rather than treating the symptoms?

    I mean it's not like stress just magically appears on its own. Something causes it. It may be worth considering ways to reduce the source of the stress first... that way you won't have as much to deal with

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  • shade_ilmaendu
    11 years ago

    I don't know that much about Valium and how harmful it is to your body, but benzos are as addictive as heroin. So I can't necessarily say that's a good thing, but I don't judge.

    Still, a glass or two of wine or a few beers after work? So what? Small amounts of alcohol like that are actually good for you as long as you're not getting schnackered every night. A drink or two? Meh.

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  • Riddler
    10 years ago

    I thought Valium was a pain killer?

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  • handsignals
    10 years ago

    Valium (diazapam) has the same effect on the brain as alcohol, although the effects are only similar.

    To me 50 5's a year isn't much, I think as long as you take breaks in between doseing so you don't build up a tollerance it's all good.

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  • thanksforthefreecar
    11 years ago

    You're gonna end up adicted

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  • Corleone
    11 years ago

    Your coworkers have every right for concern. For one, Valium has some side-effects you should be weary of. For example, you're not supposed to drive a car while on it.

    If you're so stressed out, I think you should find a decent therapist. Taking drugs without therapy is like putting a band aid on a gunshot wound. Sure, you can't see the wound anymore, but the cause is untreated.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      11 years ago

      Couldn't you also say:
      "Your coworkers have every right for concern. For one, alcohol has some side-effects you should be weary of. For example, you're not supposed to drive a car while on it."

      I DO see a therapist and she's good. I saw her today, in fact, and I feel a lot better for it. It helped that she agrees with how I've dealt with the people who caused the s$%t that's gone down lately in my life. But stress is part of everyday life and dealing with stress by using substances is normal human behaviour, which is why the bars in town are filled with people after work every Friday, using alcohol to wind down. My issue is, why do people in our Western culture accept alcohol use but not Valium? I don't drive on it, just like I don't drink and drive. I use it when I'm stressed to lie down, relax, watch some TV and fall asleep. I never use it more than once a week. Most people I know drink way more than I use Valium.

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      • Corleone
        11 years ago

        Yes, alcohol has its side-effects. But that's hardly a reason for justifying Valium use. That's like saying: "Hey, it's okay for me to smoke cigarettes, since alcohol is also bad for you."

        I'm not your doctor, so I'm not going to say what you can and can't take. If it improves your quality of life, there's nothing wrong with using it. I just hope you've got a good reason for this, since Valium is far from an innocent drug.

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        • Anonymous Post Author
          11 years ago

          Don't worry. I go for months without using it. That "once a week" estimate is averaged over the year. I try not to take it at all because I know it's bad for me but sometimes life just gets too difficult. I'm unable to navigate the vicissitudes of life as well as some people can. But I live and learn and things keep on getting better.

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          • Corleone
            11 years ago

            That's good to hear. :)

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  • BopBop
    11 years ago

    Basically ur taking drugs so what do you think

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  • #Yoloswagg
    11 years ago

    Thattz reelee nott a guud ideeha

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    • Energy
      11 years ago

      Please leave. -_- or go to school.

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  • x1frosty16
    11 years ago

    sometimes it's doing the little things like this in life that make the world just a little easier to live in. As long as your watching yourself and not over taking them and harming yourself by doing so, then who the fuck cares?

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  • ALCOHOLPOISONING
    11 years ago

    Ur gonna bcum an addict u no?

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    • x1frosty16
      11 years ago

      I think if they were going to become addicted to it it would have happened already. Did you not read they've been doing it for 20 years?

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  • dirtybirdy
    11 years ago

    If they are prescribed to you I don't see a problem with it, especially if its only one or less per week. I don't drink either but I do smoke pot to feel less stressed...and because I enjoy it.

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