I saw yesterday a documentary about a widely prescribed medication- Xanax. The main topic was how people underplay their addictive effects and start to consume those pills without consideration.

The documentary began with the fact that Xanax influences the human brain enormously. Their active substance benzodiazepine acts on brain nerves and as a result, more GABAneurotransmittels are produced. They slow down brain activity and therefore patients will be quickly at ease with their problems.

As the documentary reported a huge increase can be observed in the number of consumers. This take-off can be thanked first of all to a goal-oriented, fast lifestyle. For example housewives were complaining about not having enough time for themselves. Their needs are constantly put on the backburner which leads to burnout and depression. Unfortunately, successful businessmen are also no exception when it comes to apprehension. A middle-age widely known professor covered that he felt always anxiety before his presentations and public speaking and the only way to regain his balance was to take pills -Xanax. He also mentioned that he regretted to start with this type of medication. As a withdrawal symptom, he experiences suicidal thoughts, strong headaches and insomnia to name a few. The most serious long-term side effects are dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Would it be not easier to build resilience against those fearful situations? This is one of the questions which are often asked in this documentary. Sadly, we live in an age where we cannot expect doctors to prevent us from those medications. They tend to overprescribe due to several reasons. Once they are under contract with those large pharmaceutical companies, second doctors want to get favorable online rates therefore they meet every expectation of patients and prescribe what people want.

The documentary shows some ways how to cope with stressful situations and disrupt anxiety. Great social connections can be a key to it.