We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember
saying something like:

Any help with this would be appreciated.

If it's a reversing drill, there will probably be a small left-hand
thread screw down the bottom of the chuck if you open it up fully to
see.

Don't just bash away at the chuck without finding the screw first, and
don't undo the screw the wrong way. Got the t-shorts.