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Originally Posted by
AThingForCashmere 
Super alcohol? Uh, no. Ambien is some of alcohol's negative qualities (not knowing where you are or what you're doing), amnesia etc, and only one of alcohol's positive qualities (it does help you sleep). I've never experienced any kind of euphoria, removal of inhibitions etc on it. The first time I made the mistake of taking two pills instead of one, I got up in the middle of the night and drank a half-bottle of vodka, straight. The scary part is, I rarely drink at all, and I have no memory whatsoever of doing it.
I don't understand this. You say it's not like alcohol, then you go on to list all of the ways it's similar to alcohol. Also, you may not have the euphoria or loss of inhibitions, but they're a common side effect of the drug. They're also the reason people take it recreationally.
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Police are routinely finding people who've 'sleep driven' into car wrecks. They don't even snap out of it after the wrecks, and police show up to find them walking, talking, able to respond to questions etc, but completely asleep. Just bizarre.
It's evil, evil stuff. Never take more than 10mg within an 8-hour period, or use it long-term.
This is all true, though a lot of the stuff I've seen points to this being much more common when there's another factor involved. People who take it with other meds, with alcohol, or take more than directed are much more likely to have side effects. I've been taking it once or twice a week for a while now, and I haven't had any ill effects. My doctor is well aware of the way I use it, and she has no problem with it. In fact, she wrote me a script with refills. Used properly it's really helpful, and the side effects can largely be mitigated by taking simple precautions.
