Stress Busters: Chemical Coping – Drink, Downers, and Dope

The setup

So much for the body's pharmacopia of beneficial and not-so-beneficial solutions to stress. What about all the chemicals in the cupboard that we take to cope? When we're stressed, irritable, or worried, many of us relax with a drink, a joint, or even a prescribed tranquilizer such as Valium (diazepam) or Xanax (alprazolam). They help take the edge off.

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.

As you will see, each of these exerts its relaxing effects by boosting these brain chemicals:

• GABA, the relaxing neurotransmitter.
• Dopamine, the "feel-good" neurotransmitter.
• Endorphins, our natural euphoriant.

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