Adderall and Plane Rides
On Addy
My absolute favorite time to take Adderall or Vyvanse was on the plane. Some may call it strange considering plane rides are a great time to catch up on sleep, especially to make the time of departure to arrival speed up, but for me, it was the exact opposite. I wanted to be alert, and I wanted to make the most of the time I had where I was forced to be still—nowhere to go 1,000 feet in the air—even to the bathroom when the Captain requires your seatbelt to be on and securely fastened. I couldn’t even find someone to talk to (talk at rather) with the wifi being disabled, plus the person sitting next to me was usually sleeping. It was the addict's heaven, surrounded by humans yet totally alone: me and my drug of choice.
After Addy
The first time I traveled without Adderall, it felt like something out of a bad nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. I remember calling my parents sobbing; I couldn’t remember how to get through customs. This could have been because I was still detoxing from the drug and absolutely exhausted and delirious, but looking back two years later, I now understand what it was: I hated the airport and was actually terrified of flying. Adderall gave me a sense of control by navigating the terminal, ignoring all feelings of anxiety that I left something at home or somehow missed my flight, and the euphoria I felt masked the fear of being 1,000 feet in the air with strangers, so if the plane were to somehow malfunction and crash, I wouldn’t have my mom or dad's hand to hold.
Addy Free
Over time, these intrusive thoughts did pass as all of your fears of life without Adderall or Vyvanse will. A tip on how I did this was that I no longer associated a plane ride with a euphoric alert feeling, I associated it with rest and restoration until I arrived at a fun and exciting destination.
Now, every time I take a flight without Adderall, a new form of confidence builds because I got through a craving without caving. When the plane lands, I no longer feel the crash and depression that happens once the Adderall wears off that then leads to the anxious need to take another… and another… and another. This time, I step off the plane that much stronger, ready to take on a new city, state, or Country.
Present Day: Addy Free
Right now, I am at a coffee shop in Edinburgh on my sixth day here, reflecting on the new form of euphoria I felt the first day I landed here. While I would not have slept, excited for the 6 hours of Adderall and landing sleep-deprived, and probably would have found a local pub to mask the feeling, I was fully present, grateful, and ready to conquer the trip ahead of me.
