Those who struggle with fear, worry, and anxiety need to be lovingly cared for. In a perfect world a mature biblical counselor would work in tandem with a top notch Christian physician to offer proper care for a believer who is hurting (we are after all body/soul creatures).
A secular news organization recently ran an article titled the "
The Hidden Epidemic: Dangers of anti-anxiety medications." This story encourages its readers to understand the side effects and long term addictions that can arise from various
psychotropic drugs....
As reported by (KATV) Little Rock — Scott Graves was a man who seemingly had it all: a good job, a loving family. That was until he was handed a prescription for Xanax in 1994 after being diagnosed with a mental health disorder.
"For a long time, I kept it together," he said. "I took it as prescribed. And then it became where I couldn’t do anything without them."
For nearly 15 years, Scott was addicted saying, “I woke up with the pills. I spent the whole day with the pills. I went to bed with the pills. It was my life.”
It took one relapse and two suicide attempts for him to realize he had a problem. He was able to finally break free in 2016. “I was going to die. I didn’t want to, but I was going to," he said.
Scott isn't alone either. The struggle of addition to Xanax or other benzodiazepines, like Klonopin or Ativan, is all too real for more people than you might think.
“Benzos are in fact one of the most addictive prescription drugs that we have in the field today," said Tucker Martin, director of marketing for Recovery Centers of Arkansas.
But what exactly are they? Benzodiazdepines, commonly known as benzos, are depressants. They can be prescribed to treat things such as anxiety, seizures, and insomnia. "Part of what benzos, do in addition to just make you feel better and happier, they seriously suppress your respiratory system," Martin added. And when you start combining them with opioids or alcohol, it can turn deadly.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 30 percent of opioid overdoses involve benzos. "Where people make the mistake is, one plus one doesn’t always equal two, because they have a synergistic effect when you combine the two. And so, one plus one could equal seven depending on a person’s dependency, dependent on a person’s body chemistry. And that becomes deadly," said Arkansas drug director, Kirk Lane.
While these drugs do have a high street value, the problem starts for many, Scott says, in the doctor’s office. "Because they’re easy to get," he explained. "It is insane how easy, especially if you have a history with mental illness that you can do into a doctor, a general practitioner, someone who doesn’t specialize in this field, and say, ‘I’m having trouble living life, I don’t know what to do.’ And then, ‘here’s a script.'”
The CDC says Arkansas has the second highest prescription rate in the United States. Between 1996 and 2013, the amount of benzo prescriptions filled across the country grew 67 percent. Lowering the amount of prescriptions, mixed in with fewer dosages, and most importantly, education could help curb these numbers.
"I think we’re horribly misinformed about the dangers of Xanax and Ativan, all of those benzo-classified drugs. And part of that goes back to the fact that the doctor gave it to me, so it must be okay," said Martin.
And as for Scott, he’s out of the woods thanks to treatment and group support. He’s able to live the life he’s wanted for years.
"There is hope," he said. "There is a better way of life that you can live without doing this. There are people out there doing the work that can help you live the life you have always wanted to live."
For nearly 15 years, Scott was addicted saying, “I woke up with the pills. I spent the whole day with the pills. I went to bed with the pills. It was my life.”
It took one relapse and two suicide attempts for him to realize he had a problem. He was able to finally break free in 2016. “I was going to die. I didn’t want to, but I was going to," he said.
Scott isn't alone either. The struggle of addition to Xanax or other benzodiazepines, like Klonopin or Ativan, is all too real for more people than you might think.
“Benzos are in fact one of the most addictive prescription drugs that we have in the field today," said Tucker Martin, director of marketing for Recovery Centers of Arkansas.
But what exactly are they? Benzodiazdepines, commonly known as benzos, are depressants. They can be prescribed to treat things such as anxiety, seizures, and insomnia. "Part of what benzos, do in addition to just make you feel better and happier, they seriously suppress your respiratory system," Martin added. And when you start combining them with opioids or alcohol, it can turn deadly.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 30 percent of opioid overdoses involve benzos. "Where people make the mistake is, one plus one doesn’t always equal two, because they have a synergistic effect when you combine the two. And so, one plus one could equal seven depending on a person’s dependency, dependent on a person’s body chemistry. And that becomes deadly," said Arkansas drug director, Kirk Lane.
While these drugs do have a high street value, the problem starts for many, Scott says, in the doctor’s office. "Because they’re easy to get," he explained. "It is insane how easy, especially if you have a history with mental illness that you can do into a doctor, a general practitioner, someone who doesn’t specialize in this field, and say, ‘I’m having trouble living life, I don’t know what to do.’ And then, ‘here’s a script.'”
The CDC says Arkansas has the second highest prescription rate in the United States. Between 1996 and 2013, the amount of benzo prescriptions filled across the country grew 67 percent. Lowering the amount of prescriptions, mixed in with fewer dosages, and most importantly, education could help curb these numbers.
"I think we’re horribly misinformed about the dangers of Xanax and Ativan, all of those benzo-classified drugs. And part of that goes back to the fact that the doctor gave it to me, so it must be okay," said Martin.
And as for Scott, he’s out of the woods thanks to treatment and group support. He’s able to live the life he’s wanted for years.
"There is hope," he said. "There is a better way of life that you can live without doing this. There are people out there doing the work that can help you live the life you have always wanted to live."
Here is a helpful list of some biblical resources related to fear, worry, and anxiety: What to do when you worry all the time- (a short 5 page article)
Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety Becoming a Woman of Faith & Confidence-
