Nineteen
When I was a kid, my mum would push the bedside drawers against the bed to act as a barrier because I tended to roll out. I eventually outgrew that, but it was a sign of the sleeping troubles I would always have. In my twenties, I had bad insomnia. I grew tolerant to sleeping tablets. My GP tried a range of other medications where drowsiness was a side effect. For a while, I had success with an antihistamine, but once I grew used to those I went back to (one set of) sleeping tablets and briefly grew addicted. The thing with the sleeping tablets is I liked the way…
The Other Me
‘Hello, Panic, My Old Friend’ ii. Dean had a party one night and invited Stan and me along. It sounded like just what I needed – a day out to have a good time, not have to worry about anything. But I didn’t feel right from the moment I went – hot, stuffy, my head clogged. I thought once I got there, I could relax, get into things. I didn’t. Instead, I became increasingly uncomfortable. The room swayed and now it was stifling. It was summer and warm outside, but not like this. My clothes smothered me. Dean and Stan started to drink. I decided to hold off until my…