Stress Busters: Chemical Coping – Drink, Downers, and Dope
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You know how it feels. You've just finished a hard day at the office, and you can't wait to get home. You get on the road only to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic for the next 40 minutes. You arrive home to an equally harried spouse and two noisy kids, vying for your attention. All you want to do is have a drink and forget about everything....Or you're a student with a paper due, and your computer just wiped out an entire afternoon's work. A joint looks really good to you right now....Or you just found out you owe back taxes, and, while you don't know whose fault it is, you're the one who has to come up with the money. Where is that bottle of Valium?
These scenarios may be realistic – but can we say the same about the solutions? The substances that people so often take to chill out have their share of downsides. Let's see how they work and what those downsides are. They include:
- Alcohol.
- Tranquilizers.
- Cannabis.
- GABA, the relaxing neurotransmitter.
- Dopamine, the "feel-good" neurotransmitter.
- Endorphins, our natural euphoriant.
More on: Alternative Health Care
From NATURAL HIGHS: Supplements, Nutrition, and Mind/Body Techniques to Help You Feel Good by Hyla Cass and Patrick Holford. Copyright © Hyla Cass, M.D., and Patrick Holford. Used by arrangement with Avery, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
To order this book visit www.penguin.com. Get a 15% discount with the coupon code FENPARENT.
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