Originally Posted by Rodney

Valium slows you down; didn't care for it. I had back spasms once and the orthopedist prescribed it, I guess to make me relax in the hope that my spine would uncramp. Anyway, I was living alone and didn't notice a single bit of difference while I was by myself. Everything seemed normal.

Then I went over to some friends' house, and realized I was operating 'way slower than everybody else. Somebody's say something, and I'd start to answer in what I thought was a reasonable amount of time. But by that time, somebody else had started talking. This happened over and over; couldn't get a word in edgewise, and I'm usually pretty fast with a comeback. I felt stupid.

I guess what I'm saying is that it slowed me down but it didn't make me feel _better._
Of course, everybody's different. My Mom near got hooked on Valium back in the '70s, when HMO doctors would prescribe it for everything.