Why Do People Self-Medicate?

Seriously. Why?

One of the primary reasons people self medicate is, to alter how they feel or act. If someone has stresses, they self medicate to relieve themselves. If someone doesn't feel comfortable(socially awkward), they often feel less inhibited after drinking or drug use. Often its used to cover up a pervasive sadness and this helps them forget their real problems.

Do you mean with medication, illict drugs, SI, alcohol? I guess on PC we may use some or all of those in order to manage our feelings and function in life.

One seeks something to neutralize the too intense feelings.

or just because. Drugs and alcohol can be fun and it's a way to unwind. Few drinks, be silly (because it's socially acceptable to be silly after few drinks), dance to forget.

People self medicate because from an early age we are taught that if we don't feel well there is a medication to address it.

People also feel that self medication can aide in coping with all kinds of issues.

How many commercials do we see on TV that advertise medications that are called
"off the shelf" that we can just go and buy for our stuffy nose, cough, etc.

Oh and lets not forget the Budwiser commercials that everyone looks for during the Superbowl. My all time favorite commercial was when they showed the Budwiser horses playing football, very clever add.

Open Eyes

Great topic! But, if I may Ygrec... I would add to the question - Were/Are you aware that you were/are self-medicating?

When I was in high school ages ago, mental health issues were a taboo topic. NO ONE admitted that they sought help from Psychiatrists. And no one ever suggested to someone else that it might be a good idea to do so.

I fell into self-medicating, but didn't know or realize that was what I was doing at the time. I felt clumsy, ugly, not part of the "In-crowd", not popular, etc. Drinking became my "ticket" to join those who were beautiful and popular. Yes, drinking made me feel less uninhibited and more accepted!

While I remained sober for many, many years there came a time when my life turned upside-down. I don't think I consciously thought about it, but I did turn to drinking again and that lovely wave of relaxation from it caused me to think it was the "cure" for all my troubles.

I suspect others will have a different story based upon their age and their past.

Well, I guess I meant what's WRONG with self-medication?

The pharmaceutical companies lose out?

*installs a missile defense shield and system of bunkers*

in a way nothing. when you know the moderation and do not use.... stuff as substitute of living. Having a drink after solving a problem to unwind is something different than "oh, life is hard, let's get drunk/do lot of drugs".

sometime to unwind is exactly what we need. You cannot drink away your problems, but sometimes when instead of spending the night in self-torturing "i shouldn't have done it so, what if..." you instead say "**** it, did my best, now I am gonna have fun".... the next morning it does not seem so dire.....



*jumps in the bunker with bottle of raki*

you wish!

Does "PC" mean "Psych Central" or "politically correct"?

Ygrec, IMHO if the self-medicating harms the person, that is a problem.

Games...you like games ygrec... playing with words.....I don't and I wish you didn't like them either

Well, for me self-medicating refers to turning to alcohol/drugs instead of resolving the cause that makes self-medicating attractive. Its an easy cop-out to sooth my troubles with a substance that is notorious for making more troubles than the ones I started with.

Oh man, that made me laugh more than it probably should have XD

Now to answer the original question... I would self-medicate to run away from problems, get away from thoughts, insecure situations, etc. For the longest time, I felt very uncomfortable around other people unless I was intoxicated. It took over my life after a while to the point where all of my problems were being "solved" by intoxication and therein lies the problem. When you'd rather do drugs than eat, or cash your entire paycheck just to get more drugs, it's safe to say some changes need to be made. Self-medication can be dangerous, I've learned that first hand.

Broken leg scenario:

So if my leg were broken and causing me pain, but nevertheless I attend for my weekly physio appointments, do all the things the doctor says to get it to heal - would it be so bad to have the odd beer or 3 to cheer me up a couple of times a week? That#s self medicating isn't it?

Would it be so wrong to do the same from anxiety? As long as I was also working to address the route causes?

I have had full on anxiety for what seems enternity - witihin the last few months I have found myself self medicating occasionally, just for some relief - it has given me hope back that I can be free of these feelings.

"Would it be so wrong for me to do the same for anxiety? As long as I was also working to address the root causes"~~ good question. In my opinion, no. Unfortunately, there are those of us who do not stop at one beer, one xanax, one way out of hell.

Some of us are predisposed to alcoholism, drug addiction...our "Get Out of Jail Free" card is our free pass to more misery, and complete self destruction.....I got no where till I stopped trying to end the pain...I had to dance through the fires, feel everything...no numbing...no muted feelings to find my way to the path I now follow with some peace in my soul.

You are speaking of using moderation, and of doing the next thing towards a solution in your life, Soup. I see nothing wrong with that at all.

It's just that there're too many of us (myself included) who only seek blessed oblivion..which would hinder any sort of progress in addressing a solution to our anxiety, and our depression. We abuse substances to escape...and defeat ourselves completely in the end.

Hmmm - that pricked up my ears - part of my brain is saying to me watch out for that slippery slope, maybe that dance through the fire is what needs to be done. Thank-you Theo. Soup

It's cheaper than going to the Doctor!

Yes, missbelle, I do like games - and so do very many other people. I've tried it without games and it doesn't work. There can be truth and understanding in games.

Okay. It seems that over-self-medicating is bad, but I'm not getting a clear picture whether that means appropriate, non-excessive self-medicating is good. Is it?

The fundamental issue is not self-medication. The fundamental issue is the existence and persistence of serious pain-states in those with mental problems. I'm in no way interested in or commenting on consumption of substances by those who do not have real, no-kidding mental problems. That's another matter entirely.

Many, if not most, people with mental problems suffer daily with much higher levels of pain-states than others. THAT should be the fundamental issue here. Crippling mental pain rather than over-self-medication. Crippling mental pain, how to deal with it, how to minimize it, how to medicate it.

And the problem within the problem is, of course, the utterly medieval state of play in the science of objective pain perception and remediation by health care professionals. Taking more than a fast glance at the current frontiers of neuroscience and the direction in which neuroscientists are heading, I would imagine that the current situation will be changing within the next one or two centuries. We WILL, in the future, be able to measure subjective pain states in the manner in which we now monitor body temperature or blood pressure. And we WILL be able to medicate those pain states with tailored drugs that do not cause intoxication of any kind and to which people will not become addicted.

In the meantime, we still have to deal with the very real pain-states of the mentally afflicted. Unfortunately, this means (in my view) presenting health care providers with an insoluble problem. Faced with a large number of clamoring people who may be "patients" and who may not, health care providers are asked to do the impossible: figure out, with some degree of accuracy, who really needs the medication and who just wants to get high. Just by the nature of things at present, that means that many people with real pain will not be officially medicated and many people who just want to get high will be able to do so.

And so we get to self-medication. Outside of the official pharmaceutical framework, there are, as we all know, a number of ways to try to use substances to reduce mental pain. Some of that substance use is responsible, some is not. Some people's entire lives get messed up by those substances (and their families', and their employers', and their countries'), and some are able to integrate substance use into daily life in a manner that simply permits them to live with less pain.

I would submit that substance abuse is the tail of the dog. The dog itself is mental pain. Our major focus should be on the dog, with the understanding that we shouldn't have to kill the dog to solve the tail problem. Before the arrival of neuroscience nirvana, we all need to back up and re-evaluate all the issues involved in this problem. And come up with temporary solutions that start with an agreement that mental pain is the real problem here, and is worthy of better solutions than are offered today.

Over to you!

I agree with you. However, the makers of "medication" couldn't care less about your life and the problems you face. Their main (and only) goal is to sell their product and get you to keep buying their product. You are not a person - you are merely a customer. Their clever marketing schemes make it easy for people to believe they cannot live their lives without whatever snake oil they are selling.

I just watched a TV commercial for a 5-hour energy drink pitched by young/healthy kids boasting of the "super power" it gives them. The add goes on to say a person NEEDS to take it EVERY DAY. Really? Since when is "speed" a necessary part of a healthy diet?

The same thing goes for the "downer" category - enticing people to knock themselves out in order to unwind and get a good nights rest. Have YOU ever tried waking up someone who has knocked themselves out with medication? Even a house fire won't wake them up - they stay in their dream state, don't understand what is happening, and can't follow directions on how to exit the home. I've YET to hear mourners say "at least he got a chance to relax, unwind and get some sleep before all this happened."

I believe medication (ANY medication) should be used ONLY when absolutely necessary - and the person should be fully aware it is most likely habit forming.

Oooh....oooh - I got one more reason self-medication can be wrong. What happens when the self-medication is no longer available....anywhere? How would that person cope when he/she becomes "ill?" Will that person be able to live without a pacifier?

In my case, I do self medicate. I've been in the system for over 10 years now and have been on just about every psych med there is. Most did much more harm than good. I am currently without medical because of my job and can't afford doctors. The one doctor I do see is extremely hesitant to give me what I need as it is a narcotic and he doesn't like that I self medicate anyways. I've only seen him once so far as well.

I was perscribed medical marijuana in Colorado for my stomach issues. Battled an ED from the age of 7 to 21 and when I finally got my eating right or wanted to, any food at all nauseated me and still does. I have pretty bad stomach problems and marijuana is about the only thing that allows me to eat. Not to mention about the only thing that destresses me. None the less it also has negative side effects so I don't use it more than needed.

I was also (when I had medical) given perscriptions for valium for years. For my anxiety and my back pain. Lost my medical, lost my medicine. Now my mom gives me about 5 of the 5mg a month (all she can spare) and I take 1/2 of one of them when my anxiety is too much to handle. I used to be on 3 of the 10mg when I was given them by doctors but only took them as needed before as well.

Honestly I don't like medicine at all. If I didn't need it, I wouldn't take it. I don't even take tylenol unless it's absolutely nessessary. But the way my work and the way the government is with medical, I have no other options but to self medicate.

If I didn't I would be gone by now. I wouldn't have made it through this last episode, I would either be homeless and out of my mind or would have done something uncontrollable that would have caused serious damage. Sometimes we really do know what is best for us over what the doctors think. But I'm a very strong willed person that would never let this self medication turn into a drug dependency or anything.

My two cents

After reading a few comments... I think where self medicating becomes harmful is when it becomes an addiction and becomes the "cure" and not just help in the situation. Alcohol can be very helpful especially when you've had a very difficult day but when you run to alcohol every time things go wrong, when your first though is to turn to a drug of sorts to fix the problem, that's when self medicating becomes dangerous because you're not addressing the real problem only causing more problems.