Coming back from Lanzarote on 2005,. I had been out on the drink all night before I was due to fly home, engaged in a drinking competition with a man from Cumbernauld and a man from Belfast, never compete with a Jock and a Paddy when it comes to drink, you wont win, they have Whisky coarsing through there veins...

Anyway, I ended up missing the bus to the Airport after about an hours kip, I managed to make the flight, I was still three sheets to the wind, I drank about 3 gallons of coffee and 12 pints of water just to get onto the plane, soon as I sat down on the plane, the mother of all hangovers kicked in and I started to have a panic attack, I dont like flying at the best of times, and I started to freak out, hyperventilating and nearly crying, the stewardess was starting to worry, couple of paracetamol later, the headache did not subside, I was still panicking, they came close to getting the oxygen out to calm me down...

The person sitting behind me settled me right down, gave me 2 Valium, rather naughty I know, giving that it is a controlled drug, but it settled me down and sent me to sleep, as I was flying back to Manchester and miles away from home, when we came into land, they wanted to seek medical help for me, but luckily, I arranged for my mate to come down from Murton to pick me up, and after a quick chat with stewardesses on board who walked me off, I convinced them that, as I was back on terra firma, I would be ok...I was eager to get out as I was carrying way too many cigarettes and too much booze in my luggage...

That whole experience was pretty scary and a tough lesson to learn, never drink too much so close to a plane departure, I was lucky to get on the plane in the first place, these days, if i am on a flight abroad, I have one or two vodkas to calm the nerves and a couple of sleepeeze or nightcalm to try and sleep on the plane