Mental & Emotional Health

I’m not kidding.  I’m not necessarily into shopping and spending money.  I mean, sure it’s nice to have it but I’m not that into getting out there with the crowds and pilfering through tons of stuff.  And, honestly, I’m not one of those people who gets a  high from spending money.  Obviously when the power company, the water company and the insurance company’s get most of your money, there’s just not too much to feel good about when you spend it.

But, every once in a while I will run up on something that truly makes me go squeeee and wish I could just throw money at someone and have some.  And, naturally, I could throw money at A Little 2 Sassy and get myself a pair of these

But, I could also win a pair by entering this contest and trust me when I tell you, I WANT these flip flops.  I mean, come on, they are called black bling bling flip flops…..they are so me!

I am not going to sit here and tell you that I don’t need something to help me “relax” or “calm the (**^ down” on occasion.  And honesty, xanax is a good alternative to a lot of other drugs when it comes to needing something to simply make life more bearable in the here and now.

Yes, there’s anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs but xanax is one of those drugs that can be taken “as needed” and you can get a nice ease on life.  But, when taken on a continuous basis, it’s as bad as the next drug, even caffeine.  Yea, no kidding.  And, the physical effects of being without the xanax after having a serious addiction….well they are no fun. 

I’ll also tell you that owning your own business, being responsible for your own upkeep, having multiple young children in your house, in your business, all those things, there enough to cause a person to need a little help settling into life every now and again.  But, addiction can occur and it can occur quickly. 

The side effects of over-use of xanax are muscle cramps, nausea, diarrhea, drowsiness, lack of coordination, loss of appetite, loss of concentration and slurred speech…just to name a few.  Make sure you need it and make sure you don’t need it often.

Do you know what it is like to be addicted to pain medication?  Heck, do you know what it is like to be addicted to anything?  It happens and it happens a lot.  I’m not talking about street drugs here either people, I’m talking about the kind of mediation you can walk into almost any doctor’s office with chronic pain and at least get a small prescription for.

My husband had dental work done, lortabs?  Sure, how manyyou want?  I had back surgery.  Percocet? Sure how many you need?  How long you need them?  Three years?  Ok, done.

Some doctors are just that nutty.  So, when people talk about having withdrawal symptoms, they aren’t necessarily talking about crack or meth.  Simply taking medication like Percocet or lortab can cause you to have some of the most horrible symptoms of withdrawal out there. 

What do the symptoms look like?  Loss of concentration, dizziness, sweats, constipation, dry mouth, nausea, and drowsiness just to name a few.  So be careful, if you have surgery and need some temporary relief, make sure it is temporary…not something you fall into a trap of “needing”.

I don’t know if it is just me but I think it is pretty much a universal thing but when I’m sick, even my adorable little cherubs make me want to gnaw my arm off.  Honestly, in this week alone I’ve had a raging TMJ issue, an even worse sinus issue and I spent 4 and a half hours in the neurologists office today.

I love my kids.  They are precious as pie, just like yours I’m sure.  But for some reason, this afternoon I’m threatening to run away from home.  They are welcome to stay here.  That’s not a problem, but me?  I’m going to mommy-boot-camp or something.

I do think that the level of medication is going to need to be adjusted but what I would really like to do is check into a mental ward and detox off of everything I take.  Then, from there, see if I need any medication at all.  Makes you wonder sometimes uh?

Especially when your skinnier-than-though, health-food-eating neurologist-freak of a doctor is preaching to you about brand name omega3 fish oil caplets versus generic ones.  That almost put over the edge.  I can’t imagine someone having so much knowledge in so many places.

Anyway, I hope I am back to a semi-healthy state for now.  Tomorrow I go to school to pain paper-bag pumpkins…wanna go?

Ending happy hours and increasing alcohol taxes is what the British Medical Association is lobbying for to fight alcohol abuse. Other suggestions were to stop selling alcohol earlier and to lower the blood alcohol level for driving.

“Britain is among of the hardest drinking countries in Europe, and the country’s alcohol-related death rate almost doubled between 1991 and 2005 — from 6.9 to 12.9 per 100,000 people.” (UK Doctors Urge Higher Tax on Alcohol)

I don’t know if they are really worse off because they have less homicides than America, yet one suggestion was to look to America because of the higher drinking age.

We ended happy hour in bars in Ontario, Canada years ago but then they decided to stay opened a couple hours later so I imagine they’re selling more alcohol than they ever did.

Apparently, in Britain they even have a bus deemed the booze bus because it’s specifically for scraping drunken people off the streets. Increasing the drinking age wouldn’t hurt regardless but that’s not going to stop people from drinking, especially if they’re already addicted. Raising the price won’t stop anyone either.

What may help is educating people on the damage abusing alcohol can cause. It damages families, causes financial hardships and health problems. Crime and violence tend to increase with higher amounts of alcohol consumption as well.

I don’t think the government changing the laws will make much difference. Offering more support for addiction treatment and educating young people on responsible drinking before they get to the legal drinking age might.

The example that adults show their children is the largest influencing factor for their future behavior and that includes how much they may drink. If children see others reach for a drink to handle stresses, that is probably what they will end up doing because it becomes the norm.