Winter driving, yikes!!!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Regina, SK
Posts: 57
Winter driving, yikes!!!
So up until last year i used to love winter and even in a snowstorm i would drive to work with no troubles. I commute 30 minutes down a fairly good highway. However, last year that changed and i havent been the same since...
It was cold and snowing a little bit. I was 10 mins into my journey, i knew there was a semi ahead of me and a few cars behind me. All of a sudden there was a snowdrift which created a whiteout and i couldnt see. I tried to slow down but it was too late. The semi ahead of me had stopped and i smashed right into the back of it doing 90kms an hour. Had i been driving my car i would have been decapitated, but i had my mom's car that day. An old 87 buick. It saved me, I had a few bruised ribs and my knee was a little messed up from hitting the dash board, other than than i was fine.
After that incident i had troubles driving but got some Ativan for a few weeks to help me calm down. I was fine afterwards and thought my nerves would be ok, i was wrong. The past two weeks I have been completely freaked out when a semi comes even remotely close to me. I have even had to pull over to the side of the road and throw up once. I don't know what brought this on again!! I don't wanna have to rely on pills to help me drive, especially since alot of those pills are not ones you should be driving while taking!
Off to work i go, hope todays drive is better
It was cold and snowing a little bit. I was 10 mins into my journey, i knew there was a semi ahead of me and a few cars behind me. All of a sudden there was a snowdrift which created a whiteout and i couldnt see. I tried to slow down but it was too late. The semi ahead of me had stopped and i smashed right into the back of it doing 90kms an hour. Had i been driving my car i would have been decapitated, but i had my mom's car that day. An old 87 buick. It saved me, I had a few bruised ribs and my knee was a little messed up from hitting the dash board, other than than i was fine.
After that incident i had troubles driving but got some Ativan for a few weeks to help me calm down. I was fine afterwards and thought my nerves would be ok, i was wrong. The past two weeks I have been completely freaked out when a semi comes even remotely close to me. I have even had to pull over to the side of the road and throw up once. I don't know what brought this on again!! I don't wanna have to rely on pills to help me drive, especially since alot of those pills are not ones you should be driving while taking!
Off to work i go, hope todays drive is better
Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,064
boskerbear,
I am in the same boat. I was hit by a semi years ago and I literally have the same panic attacks driving on interstate and fast highways. I do good on backroads. At one time I got on an anti depressant that helped the fears but I can't seem to make it back on one again without really bad side effects. I have a therapist that is just starting to work on my issues with something called EMDR which I hope works for me because the panic is something I re live in my own home,I don't even have to be out there to feel it. And it's being in situations I can't control... which is the whole gist of my history with addiction, not being able to control anything in my life. I hope you can find help for this, I still have hope for myself that this is something that I can conquer. It's no way for me to live being in this sort of fear.
I am in the same boat. I was hit by a semi years ago and I literally have the same panic attacks driving on interstate and fast highways. I do good on backroads. At one time I got on an anti depressant that helped the fears but I can't seem to make it back on one again without really bad side effects. I have a therapist that is just starting to work on my issues with something called EMDR which I hope works for me because the panic is something I re live in my own home,I don't even have to be out there to feel it. And it's being in situations I can't control... which is the whole gist of my history with addiction, not being able to control anything in my life. I hope you can find help for this, I still have hope for myself that this is something that I can conquer. It's no way for me to live being in this sort of fear.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 39
Keep up the good work. You know the old saying, if you fall off the horse...
Last winter I rear ended a car in the snow. Just remember to leave early,
give yourself extra time to get to your destination, and drive slower
in the snow. Allow more distance between your car and the car ahead.
And if conditions get worse, pull over and wait.
It'll get better; the fear will dissapate more everytime you do drive.
Acknowlege the fear, but don't let it stop you. It's ok if you have to
pull over and throw up. Hang in there.
Last winter I rear ended a car in the snow. Just remember to leave early,
give yourself extra time to get to your destination, and drive slower
in the snow. Allow more distance between your car and the car ahead.
And if conditions get worse, pull over and wait.
It'll get better; the fear will dissapate more everytime you do drive.
Acknowlege the fear, but don't let it stop you. It's ok if you have to
pull over and throw up. Hang in there.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,064
This fear has been with me since 1991, it does not go away, it does not disappear, it's there firmly entrenched till I find a way to get it out. It does not get better, it gets worse. I understand you're trying to be uplifting but my reality is what it is.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 39
lol, I'm not laughing at you. I laugh because I understand. Fear is a very strong emotion, and therefore hard to let go of. But it is there for a reason. My whole life has been riddled by fear. And then one day I started a process in letting it go, letting go of fear. Fear controlled me, and I let it. I find that as I let go of it I gain more control. It's not easy to let go, can be quite painful working through it, but the key is is to just keep working at it. Letting fear control onesself is self-oppression.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,064
I really don't mean to be offensive to you but this just invalidates how I feel. I've struggled with this, and worked through several medications, and finally doing emdr, it's not so simple to let go of and I feel rather angry and I'm happy that what worked for you has worked for you but each person has to find an answer. I'm open minded and willing, I've surrendered drug addiciton, I'm working on codependency issues but seriously this is tough stuff. I hope bosker can rid herself of this before it gets in there too deep.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 39
I'm not trying to invalidate how you feel. I'm sorry you feel this way. I was just giving practical advice that anyone should use when driving in the snow.
I have severe OCD. I've had fears so deeply entrenched for 30+ years. I've only just begun to tackle them. I am determined to not let them have such a grip on me.
The easiest time to deal with fear is when it first begins, and not let it become so ingrained. But even if fear is entrenched it can be reversed. It takes time, and a lot of hard work. It's like an addiction in some ways. It takes dilligence to keep from falling back into the pattern of letting fear control onesself. One has to "hit a bottom" so to speak to let it go. Get sick n tired of being sick of it...medication helps, too.
I have severe OCD. I've had fears so deeply entrenched for 30+ years. I've only just begun to tackle them. I am determined to not let them have such a grip on me.
The easiest time to deal with fear is when it first begins, and not let it become so ingrained. But even if fear is entrenched it can be reversed. It takes time, and a lot of hard work. It's like an addiction in some ways. It takes dilligence to keep from falling back into the pattern of letting fear control onesself. One has to "hit a bottom" so to speak to let it go. Get sick n tired of being sick of it...medication helps, too.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Regina, SK
Posts: 57
I understand both views
I had another episode today where i had to pull over and almost got physically sick. It's gonna be a long winter.
I definitely drive with severe caution, but now its almost too cautios, if one can be. I'm afraid i may drive too slow on the highway and someone may not see me in a blizzard and just run right over me. Its the fear of the unknown thats messing with my head.
Talking to the doc tommorrow
I had another episode today where i had to pull over and almost got physically sick. It's gonna be a long winter. I definitely drive with severe caution, but now its almost too cautios, if one can be. I'm afraid i may drive too slow on the highway and someone may not see me in a blizzard and just run right over me. Its the fear of the unknown thats messing with my head.
Talking to the doc tommorrow
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
