I have a series of flights ahead of me and I have a fear of flying. I usually drink in excess prior to boarding. I have had people recommend pills. I have also heard a mix of opinions on which option is more healthy. Which option is considered to be least harmful to the health?
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If you have no specific medical condition that would be exacerbated by anti-anxiety drugs, I'd say you should at least try them to see if they work well for you. Most of them don't have serious side effects if you don't take too many, or too often. Excessive drinking has well-documented negative effects, among them the possibility of violent behaviour that can get you into really bad trouble (as in: gigantic fines/damages, or even jail time) on a plane. |
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I would suggest you look for another solution. Deal with the root cause instead and go on a fear-of-flying course. In the UK, where Vass is, both Virgin and British Airways run regular one-day courses at major airports, which include a short flight. I went on the BA one some years ago and it was certainly money well spent as far as I am concerned; I'd given up flying completely. The Virgin course looks very similar in scope these days; previously they used simulators rather than an actual flight. Senior pilots, cabin crew and a psychologist delivered the course as short lectures with time for questions and then small group talks. They certainly covered every angle I could think of: the science, safety measures, procedures (e.g. why planes reduce thrust after takeoff), effects on the body, mental and physical relaxation techniques. In fact there was a questionnaire to fill in a couple of weeks in advance in which you could raise any particular issues you wanted to ensure were covered. I hadn't been on a plane in years so getting on the flight in itself was a success. All the staff went on the plane and I think there was at least one for each 2 rows, so plenty of support. There was a continuous commentary from boarding to exit (about 45 mins) provided by an extra pilot on the flight deck, which explained all the manoeuvres in advance, e.g. "You will now hear a clunk as wheels retract "; "We've been cleared to turn 30 degrees right and go up to 10,000ft, so this will start in about 10 secs, we'll do it in two stages and it'll take about 2 mins". |
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Take a melatonin pill. It's a natural substance your brain makes to make you sleepy, specially in the dark. Use it to just sleep through the flight. Two pills allowed me to sleep through a nine hour flight from Los Angeles to Vienna on a plane packed with noisy Russian kids. Melatonin should be readily available at a convenience shop at any decent airport. Just don't overuse the stuff, or else your brain stops making it naturally, and you won't be able to sleep well. |
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Talk with your doctor. Airplane Insomnia is generally a recognized condition and many plans cover meds under the insomnia codes. I have many co-workers that use sleep aids for long flights -- many of them on a fairly regular basis. |
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