Thanks for the advice. I guess I'm scared a bit of hearing about people's manic episodes, when I really think about it I do believe now I've had one. When I first went to college I failed out, I was doing great at first and then I was having so much fun I decided my classes were dumb and I'd go if I had time, lots of drug use, broke up with a long term girlfriend because she was trying to tell me I needed to take it seriously, and cut off all communications with friends and family back home that tried to talk to me about what I was doing. I'm going to be getting out of the navy and going back to school in a couple months, so I think I'm a bit nervous about it - I have a great plan to major in IT, I love computers and I've worked in the field, but when I get in these moods I worry I would be ready to give it all up and switch my major to physics, or drop out and go to culinary school, or something and these are all temporary obsessions.

I'll try setting some boundaries. I like your idea of having two bank accounts and sending a weekly allowance to the one with a prepaid card. And I guess it might be a good idea to see a doctor if I find myself slipping back into that when I'm going back to school? Do they actually help?