5 Reasons Why People Take Xanax

Xanax is a brand name for the drug alprazolam, which belongs to a group of drugs called benzodiazepines. It has grown increasingly popular among multiple generations through the late 1900s, and even more popular amongst youth, today. It was formally referred to as a “housewife drug”, and now all the kid celebrities are doing it openly on social media– there’s even a 22-year-old rapper named “Lil Xan”. Why are so many people doing it? Are there multiple purposes for it? I’ve put together a list of some of the more popular reasons people do Xanax, whether it’s socially or medically, to help everyone, and myself, organize our thoughts on the issue.

1) Medicinal Relief

Xanax is crucial to the mental health of millions of individuals around the world. Believe it or not, people do have really good reasons to use this drug, and no, it is not all bad. It is, in fact, the single most frequently prescribed psychiatric drug in the U.S. Xanax is extremely effective in relieving many anxiety and panic disorders, by enhancing the effects of a chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). It also effectively slows down the movement of brain chemicals that aren’t functioning properly. This is how it became known so wittily as a “housewife drug.” Housewives (or husbands– it’s 2019) are historically known to develop anxiety disorders from being cooped up for such large portions of their days, and were often prescribed Xanax to calm their nerves and mildly sedate them. Xanax is also used to treat depression, though not quite as often, and is used to aid in weaning people away from alcohol dependence to avoid withdrawal symptoms. The side effects of Xanax are often similar to those of alcohol, and they affect the same receptors; this is another reason why it has become such a social drug.

2) Recreational Use

As I touched on before, Xanax often mimics the effects of alcohol, and therefore, it is becoming more and more common for people to replace alcohol with it. It’s cheaper, easier, fast-acting and less conspicuous. It soothes the nerves for social interactions, and taken at higher doses, can even have a euphoric effect. The problem with it being such a social drug is that social interactions, especially for adults, usually involve alcohol. People do often choose to mix Xanax and alcohol, which increases the effects of alcohol but can result in serious, and even deadly symptoms. Some overdose symptoms of Xanax might include difficulty breathing, extreme drowsiness, confusion, dizziness, and seizures.

3) It’s Addictive!

This drug is extremely addicting. Any drug that causes a surge in dopamine levels will increase pleasure and therefore make you want to do it again. There are two different kinds of addiction: physical and psychological. Physical addiction is a result of your body changing and adapting to the drug, and therefore not being able to function correctly without it. Psychological addiction is the belief that you won’t function properly without it. This is often associated with fear of withdrawal or even the symptoms it was initially prescribed to combat. These people will continue to use Xanax simply because they can’t stop, or at least don’t believe that they can.

4) It’s Cheap

Considering Xanax has similar effects as alcohol, can be euphoric, and is fast-acting, it is a fairly cheap substitute for the substances people would otherwise use to get the same effect. On the street, a pill can be sold for anywhere between $2 and $10 depending on availability, desperation, reliability, and size and type of pill. This will usually last for an entire social event, as opposed to buying drinks, which can rack up quickly in cost. Obviously, with insurance, a prescription for Xanax would cost even less.

5) It’s Popular

Trends are real. When things go mainstream, people tend to catch on and often begin their journey out of curiosity of the hype. When “everyone” is doing it without consequence in your social sphere, temptation and peer pressure kick in. As long as the drug is labeled as something good and convenient, then it will continue to trend. Pressure from external sources is usually a driver of addiction, but even before then, friends and celebrities have a lot of influence on our lives. Lil Xan is worth over $1 million now and has fans across the globe. News spreads quickly, and bad news spreads like wildfire.

Xanax has exploded in popularity in the past couple of years, and with its growth, many new addictions have been spurred and many people have suffered the consequences. No drug is good on a large non-medicinal scale, as Xanax has, but hopefully, now it is easier to understand how it got there.