I Am A Drug Addict

Yes. It's true. I am a drug addict. I've got 2 monkeys on my back. One in the morning. One at night. The morning monkey has plagued me for decades. I've tried to get the morning monkey off my back but the withdrawal headaches are so bad I've never stayed clean for long.

Every morning my day starts off with me laying on the floor, reading a newspaper and drinking 5 or 6 cups off coffee. The current pattern is I get wired up and then go swimming. This morning that happened a bit past 7. Overnight the low got to 45, the high at midnight was 60. The water didn't feel any colder than yesterday.

I used to think I had to drink coffee in the afternoon, by 4pm, or I'd get a coffee withdrawal headache. I long broke free of that habit and I no longer get headaches. The only thing these days that makes my head ache is if I am around annoying people. I know no annoying people in Texas, so I'm pretty much headache free.

My other drug addiction started last summer when I was in Tacoma. I was having trouble sleeping so I started taking Unisom sleeping pills. I continued taking them when I got back to Texas. I hate insomnia and these pills pretty much knock me out, yet I'm able to wake up early without being at all drowsy.

But, I believe the sleeping pills are part of the cause of my periodic high blood pressure. So, last night I stopped taking sleeping pills cold turkey. And I had no problem sleeping

I know the coffee also contributes to high blood pressure. And may contribute to having trouble sleeping. Maybe I could cut back, but there's no way I'm going through coffee withdrawal again.

I may have a 3rd drug addiction. That being an addiction to endorphins. If I don't do an aerobic exercise thing during the day I start feeling not so good. This is why I think I'm liking this early morning ice cold swim. It starts the day off with a good combo of caffeine and endorphins that leaves me feeling a bit sedated.

I don't think I'll give up the exercise endorphin addiction. If anything I may amp it up so as to tire myself out so as to sleep easily without craving a sleeping pill.

It's difficult coping with these addictions, there are no support groups, but I get by, taking it one day at a time.