PLT OF AN ATX BEECH BARON BE58 TOOK OFF IN THE WRONG DIRECTION ON THE RWY AT NIGHT AFTER MAKING AN INTXN TKOF. TWR CTLR ADVISED HIM OF HIS MISTAKE AFTER DEP.

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ON NOV/XA/98 AT APPROX XA15 AT DTW; I WAS INSTRUCTED BY METRO GND TO TAXI RWY 21L AT INTXN S4. REACHING THE INTXN; METRO TWR INSTRUCTED ME TO 'TURN L HDG 120 DEGS; CLRED FOR TKOF.' COMPLETING THE FINAL TKOF CHKLIST ITEMS; I TAXIED ONTO THE RWY ASKING TO VERIFY A L TURNOUT BECAUSE IT WAS THE LONG WAY AROUND. AFTER AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM TWR; I TOOK OFF. ONCE AIRBORNE; TWR NOTIFIED ME THAT I HAD DEPARTED RWY 3R. AT THAT MOMENT; I REALIZED THAT I HAD MADE THE WRONG TURN ONTO THE RWY AND DEPARTED THE WRONG WAY. THE MAIN CAUSE OF THE PROB WAS A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. UPON LOOKING UP FROM THE CHKLIST; THE LAST THING I SAW WAS THE RED AND WHITE RWY SIGN (RWY 3R/21L). SEEING THE RWY 21L TO THE R OF THE OTHER RWY; I MADE A R TURN ONTO THE RWY INSTEAD OF A L. OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE A DIVERTED ATTN WHILE TAXIING ONTO THE RWY. I WAS LOOKING DOWN TO FIND THE LNDG LIGHTS TO TURN THEM ON FOR TKOF. COMPLACENCY IN DIFFERENT EQUIP IS ANOTHER. THE EQUIP I TYPICALLY HAVE BEEN FLYING HAD AN HSI WHICH I WOULD SET TO THE RWY I WOULD DEPART; AND SET THE HDG BUG TO THE ASSIGNED HDG. THE EQUIP I WAS IN THAT NIGHT DID NOT HAVE AN HSI. HAVING THIS SIT OCCUR IS REASON ENOUGH FOR THIS TO NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. THE REALITY THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN TO ANYBODY; REGARDLESS OF HOW LONG YOU HAVE BEEN FLYING; MADE ME REALIZE THAT EVEN THOUGH SOMETHING BECOMES ROUTINE; YOU STILL NEED TO CHALLENGE ANYTHING THAT DOES NOT SEEM RIGHT (MAKING A LONG TURN ON COURSE). I HAVE ALSO JOINED A FITNESS CLUB TO BEGIN A PROGRAM TO HELP ELIMINATE STRESS AND INCREASE ATTN AND AWARENESS TO ALSO INSURE THAT THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.