Originally Posted by
Andante 
Actually, the tone of the opening post itself is a bit insulting, as it berates and scorns all users of anti-depressants as not "facing reality." That is not the same thing as "sharing experience."
The problem I have with your last statement is that not all brains are created equal, and merely abstaining from all "chemical mind-altering substances" will not put everyone on an equal playing field. Some folks need a little help because their brains aren't functioning right, just as other folks need heart medication because their hearts aren't functioning right. When people take prescribed drugs with the goal of correcting an inherent chemical imbalance and enabling a baseline level of functionality that could not otherwise be achieved, I'm not sure how you can label them as "not sober."
Following this line of thinking to its logical conclusion, no mental illness -- no matter how severe -- should be treated with drugs because their mind-altering qualities means that the person isn't "facing reality."
Thank you Andante for saying exactly what I was feeling. The opinions expressed in the OP are so narrow, insular, and self-centered that it's not worth it for me to waste my time explaining how the anxiety disorder that I've had since birth has affected my entire life. And I am so done with people throwing out the phrase "Big Pharma" as some blanket catchphrase. What the F does "Big Pharma" even mean? That all pharmaceutical companies are one huge corrupt industry? That all medication is bad? I have no patience for black and white thinking. Rant over.