What are your thoughts about "self-medicating" with alcohol?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

Actually, a few decades ago one of my kids was teething and I asked the pediatrician for advice. He asked if we had any whiskey in the house. Well, yeah, some. “Fine,” he said. “Put some in a shot glass. Dip your pinky in it and rub a drop on the baby’s gums. Then drink the rest yourself.” True story.

On a serious note, there are people, and I have been one of them, who really needed genuine medicine for things like depression, and who use(d) alcohol instead. Problem is that the next day you feel like sh!t and you’re depressed all over again. There are also people who really do drink to excess in order to avoid doing something about whatever problems they may have.

IMHO there are people and groups who are in some sort of neo-prohibitionist mode and believe that nobody should ever consume alcohol, and that the entire nation of France is composed of witless drunkards. Nonsense. One or two glasses of wine, beer, or shots of the hard stuff can be good for lots of us. Moderation. Moderation. Moderation. Abstinence is only required if you can’t do moderation. (Or if you’re like me and the stuff interferes with your meds.)

22

MLS just beat me to it, but yes; alcohol is often used (not prescribed) for depression.
Sparing everyone the details, I’ve had depression since forever, and booze is a better curative than ANYTHING else. Plus, it helps you sleep. For a good while, I was in alcoholic mode because I…well, I just was. Since, I’ve figured out the right amount, and it doesn’t interfere with me anymore (the booze I mean; the depression still gets in the way).

23

I always prefer to listen to the experts on issues.

“When I need a light inside me , I walk into a pub and drink 15 pints of beer” - Shane McGowan

24

I had anxiety while pregnant. Mine said something to the effect of “we don’t know what anti-anxiety drugs will do to the fetus. Years ago we used to tell you to have a glass of wine. We don’t tell people to do that anymore, although there is no evidence that a glass of wine this late in the pregnancy will do any harm.”

25

I could have written this, except for the childraising and 80 hours part. I’m also a three-to-fiver (those being honest numbers, and not the kind that require multiplication) more nights than not, and have been for some time without any increase in the amount. Good job, good marriage, no morning shakes, no hairy caterpillars, no desire to drink my lunch, and I’m in decent physical shape.

I hope it’s not doing untold damage, because I get a lot of enjoyment from my partial six-pack or 1/2-4/5 bottle of red wine. I feel confident I could give them up if I had to, but I’d rather not have to.

26

Self-medication, period, is bad.

The only instance I can think of where one would “diagnose” and treat himself is something like having a headache and taking an aspirin. But that’s something which is rote, not an actual diagnosis. And of course there’s directions for usage there. So again, if you were to ever choose that you “need” to go over the directions for how many and how often to take aspirin, you’re self-medicating and that’s bad.

Speaking technically, alchohol isn’t likely to be a cure for the issue it would commonly be self-medicated for: I.e. stress. If something is so commonly stressing you that it requires medicating, then it’s not something that’s going to go away by your drinking since the only thing that causes stress regularly is your daily life. Your only option is to fix your life. Avoiding it is never going to help. But as long as you’re not fixing it, and instead drinking to dull your brain out for a few hours, you’re running the risk of addiction. And addiction alcohol is not known for leading to less stress in ones life.

Unless you have a real psychological issue, not just daily life, taking mind-altering drugs–depressants, stimulants, or what-have-you–as a fix isn’t going to work out right. And self-diagnosing your psychological issues sure isn’t going to work out well either.

27

I don’t self-diagnose psychological issues. I’ve had those professionally diagnosed and am well maintained on actual prescription medication for those. But if I’ve had a really miserable day, then spent an hour in white-knuckle interstate traffic because oh-god-it’s-raining-and-nobody-can-drive-for-crap and by the time I get home I have a pounding headache from all of it… I’ve tried Advil. I’ve tried the prescription dosage (this, by the way, at the instruction of my doctor–not some adventure I set off on my own) and it rarely puts a dent in it. On the other hand, a single rum and coke will often get rid of the headache and soothe the cranky within 5-10 minutes. This isn’t something that happens regularly. It happened twice this week, but before that it had been weeks since it happened before. I have two teeth in dire need of attention but at the moment I a) can’t really afford it (no insurance) and b) have a sinus thing that prevents me from breathing well through my nose so going to the dentist is rather out of the question until this goes away. Sometimes they are fine. Other times they ache or even have stabbing pain. Hydrocodone works fairly well if it isn’t too bad, but Hydromorphone works much better. Good luck getting ahold of those, though. Doctors are really touchy about prescribing that stuff. A drink such as a rum and coke or similar, with 2oz of liquor in it, will offset the pain to a tolerable level. Again, not something I do often, but it’s a sanity saver when I need it. And when I’m sick, a little brandy or rum in my tea can really make me feel less like I’ve been hit by a truck. Again–a little brandy or rum, and one cup of tea. Not an all-day bender of booze-laden hot beverages.

The kind of usage I’m talking about is not a daily thing. It’s not a thing that I crave, and it’s not like “I need a drink or eight” it’s more like “I need a drink, or if it’s really, really bad, maybe two.”

And I’m not talking about something that is “so commonly stressing you that it requires medicating,” I’m talking about those days that stand out from normal days in their suckiness. Those days that happen from time to time when everything goes wrong, traffic is horrible, school is horrible, someone was extra mean to you, you had to take a really heinous test that you thought you were prepared for but ended up walking out worried that you even passed… The days when your boss flipped out and started cussing out the office and then slamming doors and you felt like hiding under the desk until it was time to leave… Those kinds of days. The ones that are exceptional and you get home in a ball of stress that is hard to let go. Sure, if you have such a stressful life that you need to regularly medicate, I’d suggest going to a doctor and seeing about anxiety medication, or going to a therapist for counseling. But that’s not the level of thing I’m talking about.

The main point of my OP is that I believe that alcohol can serve functional purposes that would fit under the heading of “medicating” or solving temporary problems, and it can function in that role quite well when done responsibly. Obviously some people do not do it responsibly, or don’t have the control to limit it once they start, but that isn’t the case for a lot of us. My issue is with this mentality, expressed in the pamphlet at school, that more or less says that this behavior qualifies as a drinking problem in and of itself. I think certainly it can be a drinking problem, if it is overdone, but that in and of itself, it can be perfectly fine. I think the pamphlet was scare tactics trying to make kids feel like all of their friends who drink are really raging alcoholics and “here’s how to get them to stop.”

28

Which is exactly the reason why my grandmother refers to the bottle of brandy as “the Aspirin bottle.” Given that she’s 93 and her worse ailment is a bit of arthritis on the right knee (she’s also somewhat deaf), one would think that having a thimblefull of brandy every few weeks isn’t particularly damaging to health. I’ve lived in her house and she in mine; she can go for several months without needing liquid aspirin - it really is the headache medicine that works for her.

If the “self medication” is “I grab the bottle every time I’m anxious/something broke/things aren’t perfect” then yes, that’s very much a problem. But well… it’s the definition of Gluttony as per Dad’s old Catechism: “eating or drinking such things or in such amounts that it’s bad for you.” There are amounts that aren’t bad for you and amounts that are, and they vary for each person.

Opal, if your aspirin of choice is rum and coke, that combines a depressant (rum) with an excitant (coke). Could be that it’s just what the doctor ordered to get your blood pressure where it needs to be so your head stops hurting. If rum with decaf coke doesn’t work, then that’s it. You may want to get your BP checked.

Sage Rat, I love arguing with doctors who say “self medication is bad, period.” “Oh, so any time one of your patients has a headache, they should come in? Or when they are coughing and sneezing and have a throbbing headache for less than seven days?” “Of course not! The first should have a paracetamol or ibuprofen or aspirin, and the second one has a cold and should have a paracetamol or ibuprofen or aspirin and wait it out! They should know this!” “OoooOOOOOO :p”

29

My BP tends to run very low, actually. As I’ve gotten older it’s starting to approach actual living-person normal, rather than animated-corpse levels like it used to.

30

OK, hence needing the coke. If you had the rum alone you’d probably find yourself counting the carpet’s threads… not as in “too drunk” but as in “my BP is so low I can’t get up.”

Low BP here as well, I’ve been told “how can you be vertical with these readings?” My uneven-BP-brought-by-stress headaches get solved by coca alone - pepsi has less caffeine.

31

I think many abstainers, either alcoholics or those that don’t drink for whatever reason, like to judge those that do “self-medicate” as having a problem.

Some don’t want to see anyone enjoy a few drinks because they cannot because of eithertheir own problems with alcohol or a personal objection to it for whatever reason.

I have a sister that has been in, out, off, on, and around “the program” (AA) for 30 years.
I have attended meetings with her many times .
She can speak bumper sticker with the best of 'em.
Easy Does It, First Things First, etc.

AA can and does work miracles for some folks. I’ve seen it. If you think you have a problem with alcohol, you probably do, and AA is a good place for you to be.

Not everyone that drinks is an alcoholic though.

There is nothing more judgmental or self righteous than the “reformed” alcoholic.

They like to think anyone who drinks more than one has a problem.
Some just hate so see others having a good time.

I myself, enjoy the taste and effects of alcohol.(Duh) While some may have a problem with that I like to refer back to my favorite bumper sticker…Live and Let Live

Cheers!

No offense meant to any present or past member of AA.

32

If we are to consider an alcoholic beverage or two, consumed responsibly, when we want to lift our spirits, get rid of a headache or toothache or need a good night’s sleep as problem self-medicating, what are we to consider a cup of joe or tea, an energy drink or a caffeinated soda?

I know that initial jolt of caffeine will usually take the edge off waking up, sometimes get rid of a headache, put me in a better mood or just plain give me a second wind. I haven’t seen the pamphlets about that at the clinic .

Anything can be abused. Those who have alcohol problems need to use the common sense with alcohol that someone allergic to aspirin uses (danger! stay away from this), but most of us have the sense Og gave a goose to know the limits of self-medication. Give us some credit.

33

I’ve always assumed that those messages in health center posters and brochures were intended to get you to think about your use of alcohol. After your think, you might conclude that your use is well within healthy boundaries, and you go on your merry way. Some people might realize they have some concerns, and hopefully seek out more information.

I enjoy alcohol, and I know I’ve used it to self-medicate for things like a stressful day. I did realize, though, that a lot of the medicinal benefit is from the overall “relaxation mode” that I enter once I have the opportunity to settle down with a nice glass of wine. On the way home, I’m thinking “man, I can’t wait for that glass of wine” but that’s just part of the package of coming home, taking my shoes off, putting on some nice music, and getting comfy on the couch with the cat.

Love it for a toothache, too. A few months ago, I was up all night with an awful toothache that nothing in my medicine cabinet came close to touching, and ended up with a bottle of whiskey – swish and spit.

34

That’s crazy talk. Every single person on earth self-medicates. Unless a nurse is shoving a needle in your arm, you are self-medicating.

The issue is: where do you get your advice, and what kind of drugs do you have access to?

The choices you are offered are different if you talk to a doctor rather than a friend or neighbor. Usually the doctors are more knowledgeable, and in the case of serious health problems, following a doctors advice will usually result in a better outcome. But not always, and not always because they know more. Most of the same information is available on the internet, but not the same drugs. You can get drugs from docs that you can’t get from elsewhere.

OTOH, you can get some drugs from the street you can’t get from a doc, and that’s too bad. A lot of docs would like to be able to provide weed to their chemo patients, for example, but they aren’t allowed to.

35

It all depends on the context of your life situation. If you have a drink every now and then to help with a toothache, I’d think that’s OK. If you are drinking to go to sleep, or to deal with stress in life, especially from problems caused by your own choices, even if it’s not every day it’s a sign that you are not dealing with problems in a healthy way. Usually when people drink because they need it to “unwind” or because they have stress, they are really abusing alcohol to help them avoid their problems. If you honestly don’t see any problems in your life and just had a very busy day at work and it’s not a regular thing, I don’t think it’s what the article is talking about.

36

It’s a good appetite stimulant as well. There actually was a good reason that the cocktails-before-dinner custom started.

Personally, I prefer to wait until after I’ve eaten and have one glass of wine.

37

I’m surprised to find that some people use alcohol for headaches. I’ve usually found that, if anything, alcohol gives me headaches, but only when taken in excess amounts.

38

In excess amounts it may well give you a headache from dehydration, if you aren’t also drinking water. Dehydration is a very common cause of headaches. For me, if I have a really ripping headache, having one drink (ONE drink) will usually make it go away, and usually within a few minutes.

39

OpalCat, I totally agree with your OP. A while back I started a thread about this because my son came home from school and informed me that I’m an alcoholic and that this is equivalent to being a heroin addict. This was all based on stuff he was being taught at school. (His school has a week every year they call SADD Week; SADD stands for Students Against Destructive Decisions.)

And while I agree totally that it’s good to teach them about drug and alcohol dependency, and to counsel them to avoid it, I do think the PR goes way too far with scare tactics.

Here’s the old thread for anyone who’s interested. People provided a lot of good feedback on the topic.

40

Thanks for that link ratatoskK; I read the whole thing and it seems very similar to this one, you’re right. I understand that the checklists of warning signs are to get you to look at yourself closely and evaluate, but like you I question the wording that implies or flat out states that you have a problem if you fit into any of these extremely broadly defined categories. They treat it like it’s a black/white thing with a nice crisp line down the middle and anyone who does [whatever] is on one side and everyone who doesn’t do [whatever] is on the other. I believe that the same exact drinking patterns in two people, as viewed from an outside party, could be totally ok for one person, and make the other person an alcoholic. I think you have to look at the intent, the need, the control, the effects, etc.–the internal stuff–to determine if someone has a drinking problem.