are there any other aquaholics here?

Yes, my name is Mel. I'm an aquaholic. I swim more than 5000 yards a day in hard training (in spite of derisive thoughts from one of the Smith Brothers). I'm in step one, having admitted my problem. However, they will have to catch me to get me into further treatment... -- mel

It appears that you've been hitting the stuff pretty hard. Babbling is one of the signs of having overdone it.

scyfreestyler, you are so right, drinking pool water and breathing pool water is never a good idea, avoid swimming with large people who make huge waves, cause sometimes the perfect storm aligns, you get hit by the large persons wave just as you breath. no good can ever come from it. aquaholic In the future I will be swimming *** only when that situation arises.

I guess I qualify but I'm not sure what step I'd be on. You see, it all started when I was about 11 years old (at that time I was afraid of the aqua). I mean, I liked to get in the pool and float on the inner tube but to actually get in and go under was out of the question. Then one day, a friend of mine tried to swim under the tube I was floating on. I leaned over looking for him to surface when his head hit the back of the inner tube and I went into the water face first, mouth and eyes wide open. After the initial shock, I actually surfaced laughing. This was all about the time my older sister started on the competitive team. I don't recall the timing but I think it was just a short while later and I, too, was on the competitive team. And, thus, my addiction started. I continued to be hooked thru grade school, high school and college but thought I'd overcome the addiction the summer after graduating from college. My last event was an open water lake swim (1.15 miles). 10 years went by and, although, I participated in a corporate swimming event for a few years, it only involved swimming a 50 as a relay member. Then, suddenly, in 1999, my world was rocked by a corporate downsizing. Our office had been acquired and 200 of the 300 remaining positions were moved out of state. While they were transitioning, my job was done so I was helping out in another area until the final termination date, lunch hours got a little longer and I found myself relapsing back into the pool. This went on for about 3 months. Then, I learned of the masters organization and the upcoming state meet. I swam in the meet and found I was about 3 seconds off my lifetime best in the 100 free. I also swam that same lake swim again that year. This, and my final work day, put me in full relapse. I started working out with the local high school team (up to 100,000 yards/month), swam in local master's meets, the state meet and masters nationals (Indy in 2000). Over the past 6 years, I've been able to tone it down a little here and there as I only average about 50,000 yards/month in the month's that I swim but I also notice I'm turning into more of a year round swimmer. This year was my 7th consectutive lake swim. I guess I'm hooked real bad because on the days I don't swim I don't feel as well and if I miss a week or so here and there I start to feel guilty. Is there anyone out there who can help? I even went to my nieces (two on the team) high school swim meet last night and, although, I didn't swim. I wanted to!!!

Shouldn't it be agua-hol?... In any case, I stick to chlorinated aqua-hol. No salt in my water. Have no plans in the future of trying to recover from this affliction. It's replaced a much more serious one that inloved too much beer.

If you mean drinking pool water, then yes. Last night I shared a lane with a large and fast man who created waves that reminded me of the Perfect Storm with George Clooney. A low/neutral head position was good for my swimming but bad for my breathing.

hi mel, welcome to our gathering, more than 5,000 a day, you have it bad it's good you admit your aqua addiction, but it seems like you haven't hit bottom yet, but it's good you confessed your resistance to entering treatment. Perhaps you're in need of an intervention. Aquaholic Yes, my name is Mel. I'm an aquaholic. I swim more than 5000 yards a day in hard training (in spite of derisive thoughts from one of the Smith Brothers). I'm in step one, having admitted my problem. However, they will have to catch me to get me into further treatment... -- mel

thank you for sharing how your addiction began and evolved. It is difficult to overcome. It appears that you can't not swim, it's good you toned it down from 100,000 a month to 50,000. Swimming releases endorphins and serves as a refuge from the real world. Aquaholic I guess I qualify but I'm not sure what step I'd be on. You see, it all started when I was about 11 years old (at that time I was afraid of the aqua). I mean, I liked to get in the pool and float on the inner tube but to actually get in and go under was out of the question. Then one day, a friend of mine tried to swim under the tube I was floating on. I leaned over looking for him to surface when his head hit the back of the inner tube and I went into the water face first, mouth and eyes wide open. After the initial shock, I actually surfaced laughing. This was all about the time my older sister started on the competitive team. I don't recall the timing but I think it was just a short while later and I, too, was on the competitive team. And, thus, my addiction started. I continued to be hooked thru grade school, high school and college but thought I'd overcome the addiction the summer after graduating from college. My last event was an open water lake swim (1.15 miles). 10 years went by and, although, I participated in a corporate swimming event for a few years, it only involved swimming a 50 as a relay member. Then, suddenly, in 1999, my world was rocked by a corporate downsizing. Our office had been acquired and 200 of the 300 remaining positions were moved out of state. While they were transitioning, my job was done so I was helping out in another area until the final termination date, lunch hours got a little longer and I found myself relapsing back into the pool. This went on for about 3 months. Then, I learned of the masters organization and the upcoming state meet. I swam in the meet and found I was about 3 seconds off my lifetime best in the 100 free. I also swam that same lake swim again that year. This, and my final work day, put me in full relapse. I started working out with the local high school team (up to 100,000 yards/month), swam in local master's meets, the state meet and masters nationals (Indy in 2000). Over the past 6 years, I've been able to tone it down a little here and there as I only average about 50,000 yards/month in the month's that I swim but I also notice I'm turning into more of a year round swimmer. This year was my 7th consectutive lake swim. I guess I'm hooked real bad because on the days I don't swim I don't feel as well and if I miss a week or so here and there I start to feel guilty. Is there anyone out there who can help? I even went to my nieces (two on the team) high school swim meet last night and, although, I didn't swim. I wanted to!!!

Hi Quicksilver, I too prefer pools to lakes, bays and oceans, we're at the top of the food chain in a pool, we're a link in oceans. we feel the pain of your affliction i think it's agua, like aquaman aren't some swimmers actually drinkers with a swimming problem one form of recovery is to transition from evil distance training into sprinting aquaholic Shouldn't it be agua-hol?... In any case, I stick to chlorinated aqua-hol. No salt in my water. Have no plans in the future of trying to recover from this affliction. It's replaced a much more serious one that involved too much beer.

scyfreestyler, you are so right, drinking pool water and breathing pool water is never a good idea, avoid swimming with large people who make huge waves, cause sometimes the perfect storm aligns, you get hit by the large persons wave just as you breath. no good can ever come from it. aquaholic If you mean drinking pool water, then yes. Last night I shared a lane with a large and fast man who created waves that reminded me of the Perfect Storm with George Clooney. A low/neutral head position was good for my swimming but bad for my breathing.