kmangel

Me, too--child birth without drugs.

As far as taking a drug once in a while and drug addiction--well, your son is just justifying his abuse--not very well, of course. He knows the truth that there are responsible actions and irresponsible actions.

Does he try to argue with you, draw you into arguments when he justifies himself by telling you you're an alcoholic/drug abuser, too? If so, there is a good response to say if/when your son tries to argue with you: "I care about you too much to argue". Don't engage him in fruitless battles. There are so many fruitless battles when dealing with addicts. It is so easy to start slinging words back and forth, but it really disarms our opponents if we stop it from the beginning of the argument.

Anaya

Do you think seeking an evaluation will be helpful for you? There is no shame in seeking positive strategies to deal with very difficult circumstances.

As others have shared, treatment by a professional with medication has its place.

Elphie

I used to take xanex for anxiety, I liked it because i did not need to take it all the time, just as needed....for panic attacks. May be time to make an appointment to get a new prescription for me, with all this going on. Plus that would give me a chance to have a chat with family practice Dr. about what has been going on with AD.

Don't feel badly about going on meds, they work for those who need them and use them properly. What you are going through is traumatic, even for the strongest person....

Thlayli

I've taken SSRIs off and on for approximatly 20 years. The past few times I've been on Zoloft and have had no problems with withdrawals. I know different meds work differently for everyone though.

One thing...don't expect them to work immediately. SSRIs generally take at least a few weeks to kick in. I know I had to work up to the therapeutic amount because initially the dose they wanted me on makes me feel a little "off". I'm on a fairly low dose but could feel it even so. I tend to be hypersensitive to meds.