Panic in the Skies!

The addict was traveling for business recently when he had an unpleasant experience. An uninvited panic attack in the sky!

On Friday the 13th, at 5:31pm, the addict experienced a sudden onset of extreme anxiety. The addict was on a flight from Orlando to Minneapolis. He was seated in the window seat in a full row. Next to the addict was a man traveling to Montana and next to him was a young woman with a two-month old baby.

The addict was very tired when the flight took off. He had just flown into Orlando the night before to give a speech scheduled at 7:00 am local time. Since the addict lives in the Central time zone, this meant that he was speaking at the equivalent of 6:00am on his body clock.

And, of course, the addict did not go to bed any earlier to prepare for this early morning engagement. The addict, instead, got less than five hours sleep before speaking to a packed house. And so, when the addict boarded the return flight to Minneapolis, he was very tired.

So the addict fell asleep on the plane. Asleep in a window seat, crammed in next to two (and a half) other passengers, the addict was disoriented when he awoke. And he was in a small space. And there was no easy way to get out. And airplane seats are not designed for 6' 1" addicts.



The addict woke up and had a panic or anxiety attack:

I'm trapped!
I can't move!
I need some space!
I need some air!
How am I going to make it all the way to Minneapolis!
We need to stop the flight!

H E L P !

After getting over the initial panic, the addict was able to re-orient himself and catch his breath. Within minutes everything was ok. But the panic attack left the addict shaken. He hadn't had an attack like that for some time. He thought he had recovered from such events.

This all leads to the bigger picture for addiction. What are all the contributors? It's not just making good and bad choices, establishing bottom lines, or "working the steps." For this addict (and for many) there are also issues of physical and mental health.

This addict suffers from depression and A.D.D. So the addict has to make sure he is continually treating these maladies as he faces the task of recovering from addiction.

Then there are the issues of regular health maintenance. Getting good sleep, exercising, eating healthy, keeping hydrated. The addict needs to do all of these things as part of the big picture of recovery. Perhaps this was the message from the panic attack. Keep vigilant, addict. Take care of yourself!

Whatever the message or the appropriate response, and no matter the shortness of the duration of the panic experience, the addict is still shaken from the anxiety attack which set upon him in the skies.

SHAKES ON A PLANE!!!



It is easy to make light of it now, but as any of you who have experienced an anxiety attack will know, there is nothing to laugh at when set upon by a panic attack.