sleeping pills to numb the healing

during my final year of school I initially took sleeping pills 4 times a week for 6 weeks and then I began taking them 2 times a week for a couple months and then finally I stopped, I knew what I was doing was wrong and I decided to stop. that summer I took a hard blow and started taking them again mid day to just numb the day till I fell asleep I stopped after 2 weeks. a year later in august when someone close to me was in hospital I began taking sleeping pills again, every night for 20 days. after their loss 20th day I took them for another week or so. then I began taking them a couple times a week for a month or 2 but since November Ive stopped only on bad days where can't sleep and really really can't do it myself I take one which is rare Id rather sit there in pain then numb it out. I took them to avoid my feelings and get on with my life, I was either busy or asleep I didn't want to leave room for reflection...note: I don't drink or do drugs I don't think I will ever I'm too scared

[zonarosso]

What kind of sleeping pills do you take? I have had trouble sleeping most of my life. I still take 1/2 tablet of Unisom or Walgreens Brands ( Doxylamine) most nights to help. This is just an antihistamine and is much better than Diphenhydramine based ones (Most!) at not having a 'hangover' in the morning. I got turned on to meditation and Yoga and those have helped my sleeping and anxiety. YouTube has many selections. Here's a few I like. youtube.com/channel/UChPrx6...

youtube.com/user/MichaelSealey

For Yoga see; youtube.com/user/yogawithad...

I do have a regular meditation practice during the day, but also listen to the sleep centered ones when I go to bed if I'm wound up. Also very very important is no screen time (including phone!) 2 hours before bed. It's been tough lately with everything going on. I have definitely had to limit exposure to news sources. I have a son who lives in Minneapolis and that doesn't help! Good Luck!!

[Hidden]

I am guilty also of taking sleeping pills (over the counter) to numb myself. It’s my dirty little secret. It scares me that I do it because I’ve read that it can lead to or can be attributed to Alzheimer’s. But I push that out of my mind and swallow them (multiple capsules) anyway because I want that numb feeling. I say I’m going to stop but whenever I get agitated or frustrated then I’m thinking about taking them again and before I knew it I had/have been doing it for years. I have a very addictive personality. I am also a recovering alcoholic. I know they say they (the otc sleeping pills) are not addictive but in some way they are. I know I’m doing something I shouldn’t be doing but I do it anyway over and over. That is the definition of addiction. I am so scared that I am harming myself in the long run but I want to get through the day numbed out. I always wonder if other people do that too and then I saw your post. I want to tell you to stop doing it but I feel like such a hypocrite when I do it too, and on a much larger scale. Hearing someone else say they know they are doing something wrong makes me want to stop again though. I NEED to stop. And you do too. Don’t let it become as big of a problem for you that it is for me. It is mentally and physically unhealthy. Let me know what your thoughts are and how it goes.