Flying high to Hawaii

So in 2007, my husband was told we were moving to Hawaii.  I was terrified to fly, as I had not flown since 2001.  (Not related to the 9/11 attacks, merely coincidence.)  I was so excited about moving to Hawaii, but scared to death about the flight.

I am open to holistic alternatives to medicines.  For instance, I don't routinely use lavender to calm myself down, but rather a large bottle of Ballatore Sparkling Wine (I HIGHLY recommend if you haven't tried it).  :)  However, I'm not close minded about them either.

As our leave date approached and my anxiety about the impending flight increased, I sought the assistance of a hypnotherapist.  Needless to say, it didn't help anything, except for my wallet to be lighter, as it was a $125 waste of time.

There I am a week away from leaving Georgia and flying 9 hours to Hawaii.  I'm hysterical.  I've purchased a ticket for my mom to travel with us, so that I can drink myself into a coma, and her and B can watch my son A (who was only 5 at the time).

Mom suggested that I go to the doctor and ask for an anti-anxiety medication like Xanax.  Now...I am not a pill-popper by any means, so I was hesitant to take this route, but I was desperate.

The doctor offered me a 1 mg prescription of Xanax (which I thought was ridiculously low), and told me to try one pill prior to the flight to calm my fears about the flying.  My boss at the time, advised me to drink a glass of wine with it, "just to intensify the effect".  My sister came over and I took the pill and drank two glasses of wine.  Nothing.  Seriously, I would have felt more of an effect with a Tylenol PM. :)

Hysterical, I went BACK to the doctor, unsure of what to do.  The doctor increased the prescription to 2mg of Xanax.  Thinking he was an idiot for basically doubling my dose, I was not hopeful.

As he had previously stated, the doctor told me to take one night before we left, so that I could see for myself the calming effect that Xanax has.  Again, I went home with B and took the 2 mg Xanax and drank 2 Coronas with it.

OMG.  No joke.  I remember nothing.  NOTHING. LOL!  I was super excited after that point, because I knew I would sleep through the entire flight.  Ha ha ha.

Moving day arrives, and Mom, B, A, and I are at the Atlanta airport awaiting our flight.  As boarding time approaches, I start having a panic attack.  Mind you, this is at 9 AM! :)

Mom advises me to go ahead and take my Xanax and then we walk down to a concession store to purchase two Coronas.

(FYI:  My mom would, under MOST circumstances....NEVER EVER advise me to drink at 9 AM, and especially while taking Xanax!  In her mind, whatever it took to get me on the plane was fine. Lol!)

The Xanax (and Corona) kicked in really fast, and all of the sudden I was higher than the 737 we were in later that day.  I don't remember getting on the plane in Atlanta.  I don't remember getting off the plane in Hawaii.  I don't remember waking up during turbulence over the Pacific Ocean and yelling "Wheeeeeeee!" really loud.  I don't remember purchasing Heineken by the two's. LOL

Lastly, I don't remember getting Starbucks after we landed, going to smoke, calling my mother-in-law, or RENTING A VAN!!!  (B caught me renting the van and refused to let me drive...THANK GOD!)

Moral of the story:  6 mg of Xanax and 8 beers in less than 24 hours is probably overkill.  BUT...I managed to get to Hawaii, and I've been fine flying ever since.  I don't need anti-anxiety meds anymore.  :D