Problems Of Stress and Anxiety May Lead To Tranquilizer Dependence
Tranquilizers are drugs used to produce a soothing or calming effect. They are classified into two major groups - the major tranquilizers and the minor tranquilizers. The former are those drugs doctors refer to as neuroleptics or antipsychotic drugs, while the latter are known as antianxiety agents.
These drugs have been developed to address the problems of stress and anxiety which have become so common in our modern way of life. With all the conflicts and competition our daily urban living presents, a person can easily be subjected to difficult periods of stress. When taken under a doctor's supervision, tranquilizers can provide the means to calm a nervous person down and enable him to hurdle such periods of stress.
However, a tranquilizer is known to have such effect on the brain similar to that of a barbiturate, a highly addictive drug used to treat problems related to one's inability to fall asleep. Specifically, it can make a person less alert, such that driving a car while on a tranquilizer presents the same danger as when under the influence of alcohol.
Taking tranquilizers to relieve stress and anxiety without the supervision of a doctor can have serious effects, particularly on the user's attitude. The drugs can actually make a person less aware of his problems; once he has experienced the relief they provide, the urge in him to have more of this kind of relief becomes greater. The greatest risk associated with tranquilizer dependence is that it makes a person less able to face the realities of life.
Also note that taking too many tranquilizers can have very serious risks, especially since all tranquilizers have unwanted side effects, the most common of which is drowsiness. And when taken in conjunction with other medications, tranquilizers can cause other more serious side effects.
Obviously from the foregoing facts, tranquilizers are not the ideal solution for one's problems of stress and anxiety. But inasmuch as stress is unavoidable, a person has to deal with it one way or another. The person has to learn to adapt to stress in order to eliminate the basis for his anxiety.
It is said that a person who has not learned to adapt to stress is not a healthy person - mentally or physically. His body reacts unfavorably to his disturbed state of mind. Rather than turning to tranquilizers that can make him dependent on them, he has to resort to other effective ways to deal with stress. Developing wholesome attitudes and fitting thought patterns is the key.