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Just had a false alarm!!

1K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  spongebobmac 
#1 ·
i live on the 3rd floor of an apartment building, literally next door to the hood. Anyways, I took an ambien to go to sleep at around 1. At 3 i woke up hearing something bang on my window and balcony door, I thought someone had broken in or was trying to. I was disoriented from the ambien but pulled myself together, grabbed my full-size IWI Jericho .40 and my mag lite from the night stand and went to investigate. I was half expecting to see a crack head lifting up my plasma tv. Thank god i was wrong. after searching my place to make sure no one was hiding anywhere i realized that the idiots 2 units over had been throwing beer bottles off their balcony. It freaked me out at first because i was not 100% sober. but im glad it wasnt serious because i was ready for battle...

Im glad i woke up though because im usually a deep sleeper and have been worrying that the combination of that and the ambien im prescribed for insomnia would make it difficult to wake up if something serious was happening. I think i handled myself well though under the circumstances and it was reassuring to have both a flashlight and my sidearm at my immediate disposal, so there would be no wasted time in an actual emergency.

However I have learned from the experience and im much more mindful of keeping my doors locked and not letting people know where I live. It has made me reconsider my ambien consumption though. Even though it doesnt completely knock me out because ive built a tolerance to it, its unnerving to think I may not be 100% ready to go if a serious situation presents itself. I need to take it because of my insomnia however but this had made me want to try to lower my intake and eventually get off the pills completely for safeties sake.

Overall though it was just a false alarm and I think that I handled it the right way.
 
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#2 ·
I think you're wise to be concerned about the combination of firearms and prescription drugs. If you ever did need to confront someone with a firearm, it would look very bad for you when that info came out.
 
#4 ·
I think you're wise to be concerned about the combination of firearms and prescription drugs. If you ever did need to confront someone with a firearm, it would look very bad for you when that info came out.
No offense, but if someone is breaking into my home, the last concern I'll have is how it'll look in court. They're obviously not there to play patty cakes, and I'm damn well not going to let them beat me to death or rape my wife simply because I took an Ambien. Lifes priorities change fast when you are actually in mortal danger. Besides, adrenaline has a very unique way of clearing away the cobwebs. At least it does for me.

Now, how that gun is stored might be a concern. A sleepwalking episode when a gun is sitting on the nightstand might not work out so well. A lock box might be in order, but hell, if people can sleepwalk on that Ambien crap and get in their cars and drive to work in their PJ's (or less), I guess they could open a safe too. :smt023
 
#5 ·
I don't think my biggest concern is how something would look in court. Side effects for Ambien include hallucinations, abnormal behavior, and severe confusion, as well as drowsiness, dizziness, or clumsiness. I'm more concerned with mistaking a pet or family member or other innocent bystander for an intruder and shooting them than I am with what a prosecutor or plaintiff's lawyer would do as a result of an otherwise "good" shoot.

Why not leave the gun in the safe if you're going to partake in mind altering substances, either prescription or recreational?

and I'm damn well not going to let them beat me to death or rape my wife simply because I took an Ambien.
What if the guy out to kill your wife and rape you is really your kid comming to your room because he had a bad dream, or a neighbor or firemen telling you your house is on fire? You're not going to know for sure until those "cobwebs" are cleared away.
 
#6 ·
What if the guy out to kill your wife and rape you is really your kid comming to your room because he had a bad dream, or a neighbor or firemen telling you your house is on fire? You're not going to know for sure until those "cobwebs" are cleared away.
Good point. That's why I've only ever taken a sleeping pill once, under doctors strict orders. There are plenty of better NON-mind altering methods of getting a good nights sleep. Dietary changes are by far one of the biggest instigators for sleepless nights. Again, peoples mileage may differ, but honestly, I don't have a whole lot of cobwebs to begin with.
 
#7 ·
Agreed. While it would be a big issue for you in court, that's not the biggest concern. The big concern is of course the underlying issue of deciding to take a life while not entirely in your head.
 
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