Tranquilizers: The Myths That Make Them More Dangerous Than Alcohol

Tranquilizers — benzodiazepines such as Xanax in particular — have long become part of everyday self-medication culture. Antidepressants are feared and stigmatised, while "a couple of calming pills" is treated as perfectly normal. It is precisely in this gap between perception and reality that the greatest danger lies.

Myth one: "It's just a sedative, not a drug"

In Dr. Saulitis's assessment, tranquilizers rank among the three major addictive substances alongside alcohol and opioids. Their dependence potential falls only marginally short of heroin. When alcohol and tranquilizers are combined, their cumulative dependence potential actually exceeds that of opioids. Yet society not only fails to prohibit this combination — it effectively normalises it.

Myth two: "If I'm not raising my dose, I'm not addicted"

The doctor offers a clear marker of dependence: escalating tolerance — when 300 mg stops working and you need 600, then 900. That mechanism is what separates therapeutic use from misuse. The absence of a craving to get numb, and a stable dose, are signs that a medication is being used as intended. However, if a person already has a pattern of resolving discomfort with substances, dependence can easily shift from one substance to another.

Myth three: "If a doctor prescribed it, I don't need to think about it"

Psychological maturity, in the doctor's words, is measured partly by how well a person understands what they are actually taking. The more readily a society accepts drugs under the guise of "medication," the lower that maturity. Tranquilizers are not categorically forbidden — but they are not trivial either. Taking them is a decision that demands awareness, honest self-observation, and the involvement of a qualified specialist.

What this means in practice

Before reaching for "a few pills for the nerves," it is worth asking: am I regulating my state, or am I numbing it? Do I have a tendency to manage discomfort with substances? Is the dose I need creeping upward? These questions are not an invitation to self-diagnose — they are a reason for an honest conversation with a doctor.