Would you impress the 16 year old you?

[BiggerStronger]

I used to think the same way, but then I wonder if I'd be where I am if it weren't for all of that garbage. In all truth I would not be. There was a point in all of the garbage I went through that led me to the next point. If any of those experiences would have been missed my life would be very different and I never would have met my wife. That realization has helped me deal with my sometimes unbearable anxiety. I'm proud to say that I've been off of Valium for nearly 6 months and I haven't taken a single attivan in 3 days. It doesn't sound like much, but it's huge for me.

I know where you're coming from Dude. As crappy as all the stuff I went through I don't think I would be the person I am today without it. I was on Xanax and Klonopin for years, and used/abused pain meds. Today I'm free of the addictions, and the need to take the anxiety meds. I know how difficult it can be but once you get off of them and learn how to deal with life stress without them things get easier. I firmly believe that anxiety drugs end up causing more stress than they relieve and only make the anxiety worse in time. They are okay for the short term, but long term they sort of help while you are on them and then the anxiety rebounds worse than before. It's a vicious cycle.