Drinking & Diving

[waynne fowler]

yeah but if I drink a beer with my lunch in the afternoon, what ramifications might it have on my dive 3 hours later.

BTW: did anyone notice my avatar..... I don't think the coffee's working to rehydrate him....

 

[DocVikingo]

yeah but if I drink a beer with my lunch in the afternoon, what ramifications might it have on my dive 3 hours later.

Hi Wayne,

See post #6 by TSandM within this thread.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[Tortuga68]

I'm yet to see any evidence to support the conclusions drawn in post #6 regarding the blood alcohol content; conversely there is evidence to suggest it's innacurate

 

[Thalassamania]

A beer at lunch won't hurt your afternoon dive.

THat's quire right ... however, a beer at lunch may cause your afternoon dive to hurt you, and rather badly.

yeah but if I drink a beer with my lunch in the afternoon, what ramifications might it have on my dive 3 hours later.

BTW: did anyone notice my avatar..... I don't think the coffee's working to rehydrate him....

The dehydration due to alcohol is, as I understand it, much worse than caffeine. Any level of dehydration will increase your DCS risk.

I'm yet to see any evidence to support the conclusions drawn in post #6 regarding the blood alcohol content; conversely there is evidence to suggest it's innacurate

I don't either, but it is dehydration not inebriation that is my concern here, which is not to say that inebriation should be ignored by any means.

 

[DocVikingo]

I'm yet to see any evidence to support the conclusions drawn in post #6 regarding the blood alcohol content; conversely there is evidence to suggest it's innacurate

Interesting. Please cite the references so that I can read them.

Thanks,

DocVikingo

 

[travelmind]

I think it's all a bunch of horse pucky!

I noted the good doctor had a disclaimer at the end of one of his posts' after citing research, and the liveaboard operators have to have no drinking and diving rules.

Should they (only as examples) be responsible for our actions?

Can we all make mistakes'/accidents? YES! Can we all minimize our mistakes'/accidents? YES! Should we all be responsible for our own actions? YES! Should we be conscious of the other people around us, and the effect we could have upon them? YES!
It is my belief, that everyone (myself doubly included) Should be self governing and responsible for themselves and there actions.

Unfortunately we have too many people who always want to blame someone, or something else. e.g. "I didn't know drinking to my personal excess would be a problem", "I didn't know running my car down a 25mph street at 100mph could be a problem." "I never had this happen before."

What are your plans?
What is the difficulty of your plans?
How will these actions put me and others around me at risk?

All this thinking is making me thirsty, I'm going to get a beer.

 

[waynne fowler]

Hi Wayne,

See post #6 by TSandM within this thread.

Regards,

DocVikingo

I did see that DocV... I was being rather coy (poorly executed apparently) as we'd wandered so far from what the OP had asked I thought I'd just ask it again.

My personal opinion is that a physically fit diver (not talking the average joe who is just 'not unfit', but a diver who has a regular workout schedule, eats right, stays hydrated etc....) who was hydrated properly before having a beer 3 hours before an uneventful warm n cozy recreational limits dive MAY HAVE increased his risk on the dive by such a miniscule amount that I don't believe it could be quantified with any real accuracy.

Throw in decompression, rapid ascents, poor bouyancy control, lack of skill/experiene, lack of proper fitness or any host of other things and I'd vote the other way.

Remember folks, I'm not a doctor... however I do own the complete series of Doogie Howser MD on VHS!

Further... I would not recommend drinking to anyone, anytime for any reason. In fact I would recommend that everyone stay away from alcohol all together.

 

[billmosel]

Well I think I've heard enough. This thread has gone to places I never thought it would. I was only looking for a SIMPLE explanation. I guess that it impossible in this forum. I will leave it up to myself to make this decision. I have never had a beer before diving, but.. I was having lunch last month in Bonaire at Sunset @ Sand Dollar and said to myself..myself I said.."A beer with this burger would really make this meal incredible, but I'm not allowed to. So I didn't. Water is what I drink all day long. (Although not at night) While I was on my dive a few hours later I'm thinking, why couldn't I have had a beer at lunch. Would that have REALLY impaired me? While I drink approximately 6 to 8 bottles of water a day, Dehydration did not seem to be a problem. I'm 5'9 and weigh in @ 175lbs. 1 beer..really?

Again, I can see the liveaboards liability problem and have absolutely no problem with that. I don't have to have a beer but every once in a while it would be nice depending on the circumstances.

Thanks for all the responses. I always enjoy a good discussion.

 

[Tortuga68]

Interesting. Please cite the references so that I can read them.

Thanks,

DocVikingo

Surely you don't need my help to find references on the body's ability to metabolise alcohol over time?

 

[DocVikingo]

Surely you don't need my help to find references on the body's ability to metabolise alcohol over time?

I surely do not, Tortuga68, and any simple BA calculator (e.g., Blood Alcohol Calculator Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself, Blood Alcohol Content Calculator - The Police Notebook) will show that, as TSandM has indicated, "Three hours after one beer, if you are fairly good sized and if you had food with it, your blood alcohol level will be low. But it will not be zero."

I am not, however, not aware that ".... conversely there is evidence to suggest it's innacurate (s/p?)." I'd appreciate enlightenment.

Regards,

DocVikingo

Regards,

DocVikingo