I have a friend who, for years, has been on some kind of prescription tranquilizer or other. Whenever the going gets tough, she just pops a pill. She makes sure that she never runs out and always has a backup stash. She says it’s her security blanket in case she ever can’t get her prescription refilled unexpectedly for whatever reason. She is probably addicted, but not too seriously, because she seems to function just fine.
Why do I care? Here’s why. I, too, have a tendency towards anxiety (who doesn’t in these times, but I guess it affects some people worse than others.) I, too, did the pill thing once upon a time, but I decided it was a bad idea and potentially addictive. So I quit it about 10 years ago with sheer willpower, and gradual reduction of dosage under the watchful eye of a physician. I really believe I would have become seriously addicted had I kept it up.
Nowadays, when I have to deal with anxiety and daily fears and worries, I go the troublesome route: I exercise, I practice positive thinking techniques (although I disagree with much of the self-help stuff, what else is there if you are determined to feel good without drugs?), I do breathing techniques, engage in distracting activities that take my mind off things, and, if all else fails, I remind myself that sometimes you just have to ride out a bad mood, or even a bad day; that no one is entitled to feeling giddy and euphorious all the time, and that “this, too, shall pass”. In other words, sometimes you just have to live with it, and lo and behold, it always does blow over.
Here is my problem: I feel resentful of this person (and others like her) who makes it so easy on herself. Feel a negative mood coming on, no matter how minor? Just pop a pill. I (and others like me) go to all this trouble to deal with daily stress, and somehow I feel it diminishes my efforts that some people just pop a pill to achieve the same (or, admittedly, even better) results. Is it petty of me to resent my friend for this?