Xanax use has risen in popularity in the past years. The drug is one of the most commonly prescribed psychiatric medicines in the United States; many teenagers find it in their family’s medicine cabinets. The overwhelming majority of recreational Xanax users obtain the drug from a relative or friend. Xanax is often used in social settings at first, including at parties and at smaller gatherings, before becoming a personal habit.
Xanax produces a pleasant, quiet high free of worry or anxiety that can last several hours. Unlike cocaine or other stimulants, Xanax, like other benzodiazepines, makes a person feel relaxed, confident, sleepy, and generally at ease. It’s a deceptively calm drug which leads a person to feel justified in taking it more, especially since it doesn’t often produce unpleasant or jarring effects at first.