A PVT PLT WITH LIMITED IFR EXPERIENCE GETS DISORIENTED DURING A NIGHT VOR APCH TO SSI; GA.

Narrative

DURING THE APCH PHASE OF RECENT IFR FLT FROM WDR TO SSI; JAX APCH CLRED US FOR APCH TO MAINTAIN 1800 FT TO VOR. ACFT DSNDED BELOW ALT PRIOR TO REACHING VOR. PREFLT BRIEFING INDICATED 4500 FT SCATTERED CLOUDS AT DEST. DELAY IN FUELING AND OTHER DELAYS CAUSED DELAY IN INITIATION OF FLT UNTIL AFTER DARK. BECAUSE OF PERSONAL IFR RESTRS; I WOULD HAVE NOT INITIATED THE FLT IF CEILING CALLED FOR LESS THAN 1500 FT AT DEST AT NIGHT IN IMC. FLEW ENRTE PHASE OF FLT WITHOUT INCIDENT. AT ARR; ANTICIPATED RADAR VECTORS TO THE APCH COURSE AFTER LEARNING CEILING LESS THAN ANTICIPATED. CTLR 'CLRED US FOR THE APCH' APPROX 30 MI OUT. UPON REALIZATION THAT I WOULD BE REQUIRED TO FLY FULL APCH IN IMC TOOK OUT PLATE TO STUDY IN CABIN LIGHTING. I COULD NOT LOCATE MY READING GLASSES; THEREFORE COULDN'T DETERMINE IAF; AND MADE DECISION TO FLY DME ARC USING DME. UPON APCHING VOR; CTLR ALERTED ME THAT ARPT WAS CLOSER THAN I THOUGHT; OFF L WING. BECAME MOMENTARILY DISORIENTED; TUNED IN OUTBOUND RADIAL AND TURNED TO FINAL APCH COURSE. APCH ENDED SUCCESSFULLY BUT LEARNED TO STUDY APCH PLATE CLOSELY BEFORE DEPARTING REGARDLESS OF WX RPTED AT DEST. ALSO; TO FLY THE APCH AND NOT LET RADIO CHATTER EFFECT FLYING UNLESS DIRECT TO ME.