I Don’t Snore…I Speak Wolf

Hello. My name is Jason. This is my first meeting, and I’m a little self-conscious about being here. I love my family and they say I need help, so here I am. I suppose the first step is admitting I need help. That’s why I’m here. I need help because I snore. I thought I could control it, but lately that’s not been the case. Not that it excuses my behavior, my choices are my own, but I grew up in a home where both my parents were chronic snorers. Sometimes they got out of control and I would hide under my pillow at night. I told myself I would never be like that. I would never be like them. But then I started snoring too. Just a little bit at first. I’d snore on the weekends with my friends, when I’d sleepover at their house. Our parent’s had no idea we were snoring into the early hours of the morning, and late morning/early afternoon when we could get away with it. We thought it was cool. But then I just couldn’t get enough. It wasn’t long before I was taking it to the next level. I began snoring every night shortly after going to bed. And when I woke up in the morning, all I could think about is laying back down and snoring some more. It escalated from there. Now I frequently snore alone, sometimes starting as early as 10 AM if I can sneak away for a nap that early. I know it’s a problem, but I just like how I it makes me feel.

But it’s wrong. I know it’s wrong. Now I see that my problem has started affecting my family, and I swore that I would never let that happen. This morning was the last straw. It started off normal enough. I woke up to find two kids snuggling between my wife and I. They’ve become quite adept at sneaking in during the night and climbing into bed with us. Neither of us wakes up so they get away with it. My oldest, Austin, knows it’s alright to come into Mom & Dad’s room when he wakes up in the night, but that he’s supposed to sleep in the sleeping bag on the mattress on the floor next to our bed. Yet most mornings we still wake up and find him there between us. My wife asked him this morning why he climbs into our bed instead of sleeping on the mattress on the floor. “I have nightmares,” he replied.”It scares me when I sleep on the floor and Dad is making those wolf sounds!”

I won’t let this happen! I won’t raise my kids like this. I won’t be that kind of father. I need my family more than I need to snore. My name is Jason. I snore, and I need help.