We’re living through a cultural experiment where social media and an unmoored pursuit of fleeting happiness have convinced too many Americans that every ache of the soul is a chemical problem to be solved with a pill. Dave Rubin’s recent conversation with Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring makes the conservative case plain: meaning, responsibility, family, and work are not medical problems and should not be treated as such by default. The interview lays out how our culture’s shortcut for discomfort has become prescription pads and influencer-endorsed quick fixes.
Dr. Josef is no alarmist from outside the system — he is a board-certified psychiatrist, former FDA medical officer, and the founder of TaperClinic, the practice devoted to helping people safely get off psychiatric drugs. His background gives him rare credibility when he says mainstream psychiatry and big pharma too often prioritize quick symptom management over genuine healing. Conservatives who respect expertise should welcome whistleblowers who expose how incentives warp medicine.
Here’s the inconvenient truth doctors too often downplay: antidepressants and similar drugs can create a difficult, sometimes prolonged, discontinuation syndrome when stopped, because they change brain chemistry rather than fixing a root cause. Leading clinics and reviews recognize that sudden cessation or rapid tapering can produce real physical and psychological symptoms, which is why careful, informed tapering matters so much. Patients deserve honest conversations up front about how these medications work, the limits of their long-term benefits, and the risks of abrupt stops.
The benzodiazepine story reads like a warning the medical establishment swept under the rug for decades: drugs like Xanax and Klonopin can relieve acute anxiety but carry real dependence and withdrawal risks, and growing research ties long-term use to concerning brain changes in some patients. Observational studies and meta-analyses have linked prolonged benzodiazepine exposure to worse cognitive outcomes in certain populations, and major outlets have documented harrowing patient stories of long withdrawals that ruined careers and families. Conservatives should be furious that a profit-driven system normalized long-term prescriptions without transparent discussion of these dangers.
The sleeping pill Ambien is sold like a harmless convenience, yet its label and medical reviews warn of complex sleep behaviors, next-day impairment, and dependence — dangers that can appear even at recommended doses. Government-approved prescribing information makes clear these aren’t theoretical: zolpidem has documented withdrawal effects and can produce risky behaviors that endanger users and strangers alike. This is exactly why defaulting to pharmaceutical solutions for life’s stresses is reckless.
And don’t be fooled by the “natural” label slapped onto supplements. Ashwagandha, touted as an innocent adaptogen, has measurable GABAergic effects in animal and laboratory studies and can act on the same brain systems as prescription sedatives. Clinical reviews also flag rare but real adverse events like liver injury, so the idea that herbs are automatically safer than drugs is naive at best and dangerous at worst. Responsible medicine — and conservative common sense — requires treating supplements with the same healthy skepticism we apply to corporate medicine.
If you believe in personal responsibility and the dignity of ordinary life, you should also believe in honest, sober medical advice that emphasizes meaning, community, and proven behavioral strategies before defaulting to chemical crutches. We need doctors who will teach patients about sleep hygiene, exercise, faith, work, and therapy when appropriate — and who will be candid about when medications are temporary tools, not cures. That kind of medicine respects patients and aligns with conservative values of prudence and self-reliance.
Americans deserve a medical culture that tells the truth: some meds save lives and have their place, but the push to medicate normal suffering, kids, and the spiritually lost is a national problem. Seek clinicians who explain withdrawal risks and offer careful tapering plans, demand informed consent, and put real recovery — meaning, purpose, and family — ahead of pharmaceutical profits. If conservative patriots won’t stand up for honest medicine, nobody will, and the next generation will pay the price.
