This is a fair point but there’s also truth to the fact that “I feel better” does not automatically mean it’s an effective/good treatment.

Lots of depressed people turn to alcohol to provide a mood lift. But you can’t be drunk all the time and function, and when the alcohol wears off you feel even worse. So it’s a terrible treatment.

People talk a lot about cannabis like it’s a great treatment for all kinds of stuff. But is it closer to a drug you can take on a schedule that boosts your mood essentially all of the time with acceptable side effects? Or is it closer to a drug that lifts mood very short term and then makes it worse?

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johnisgood a day ago | parent [-]

> “I feel better” does not automatically mean it’s an effective treatment.

Of course, I agree with that.

I also agree that you cannot be drunk to function, but there are many other "drugs" that people would oppose that do not make you dysfunctional.

Personally I would not use cannabis because I know that it makes me dysfunctional, but it may not be the case for some people for all I know.

FWIW I take opioids for my chronic condition, and it also helps with my emotional volatility, depression, and anxiety, too. I have not experienced any side-effects either.

	▲	zozbot234 a day ago \| parent [-]
		Alcohol is so terrible, especially when severely abused, that "better than alcohol" absolutely cannot be a meaningful standard for being a proper treatment. > there are many other "drugs" that people would oppose that do not make you dysfunctional. People oppose these drugs because they do tend to make you dysfunctional, at least when abused. And when people are severely depressed, the depression itself makes it more likely that they will abuse their drugs.