Dulling the Pain of Middle Age?

My sister just pointed out to me that more than half her friends on Facebook have openly written about taking Xanax and other prescription drugs regularly. I too have a handful of friends who are on sleeping pills, mood regulators, and drink almost nightly. I will admit I do like my glass (or two) of wine at night after the kids have gone to bed. What has happened in our lives that makes this such a common occurance? Is it that our lives are not exactly as exciting as we thought so we are dulling the thoughts that creep in at night? I do find that in the morning every day brings promise but at night I go over in my mind what is not right in my life, what I said wrong, and what I wish I had as opposed to being happy for what I do have. I remember telling a single friend of mine that long term relationships are not a series of highs and lows but more long periods of the same puntuated with a few highs and lows. Is it in your late 30's and early 40's that the sameness finally gets to you? Are we missing meaning in our lives or are we just bored? Maybe we need a hobby...