Hi, how’s it going? Hope you are doing well.

I knew someone recently who had a theory that I really didn’t approve of. See, they had been off their medications for reasons they couldn’t control, but had finally found a way to go back on them. But they were hesitant to do so.

I asked them why, and they said that they needed to prove to themselves that they could manage without them first, then they would go back on medications. Well, I honestly think that this was their mania talking. It certainly didn’t make sense to me.

So I talked them out of it, and they went back on their medications. Now they realize how foolish that idea had been. But there are many people that think this to one extent or another. They think that they need to prove to themselves that they can do it on their own.

There are several major problems with that. First off, many people can’t do it on their own, which is why they are prescribed the medications to begin with. There’s no point in running a race that you’re supposed to be on a bicycle for. That’s just setting yourself up to lose.

Secondly, whether you can make it without medications or not is just…

…not the point!

See, if you can do something mediocre by yourself or you can use a tool and do it well, then where’s the victory in doing it mediocre by yourself? Especially if the tool was within reach? Let me give you an example.

Many of you have at least some experience with screws and screwdrivers. Let’s take a basic Phillips screw and driver, and a piece of wood that it has to go into. You can start the screw with your fingers, and usually should to get it going. But no matter how hard you try, you are not going to get that screw all the way in with just your fingers. That’s just not how it works.

And if you get it as far as you can and just leave it that way, saying you did the best you could, then whatever you were putting together is probably going to fall back apart. But if you reach out and grab the screwdriver that’s sitting right next to you, then you can do the job well.

This should make sense to the average person. So why is it so hard to realize that medications are just one more necessary tool to use in life? For those that need medications, they are on them for a reason, and shouldn’t have to force themselves to go off them just because stigma and other false beliefs say that they shouldn’t need them.

Should is such an ugly word. See, there SHOULD be no such thing as bipolar disorder to begin with. But there is. We SHOULD not need medications to get us by. But we do. There SHOULD be a cure for anything like this that messes up a person’s life. But there isn’t.

Instead of focusing on the shoulds, focus on working well with what you have available. And remember, one of those things you have available to you is medications. What are your thoughts on that?

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave