I've just come across an article on the impact of smoking on diving (a part of required GUE reading materials), and I was surprised that in 2015, such an article still had to be circulated... pretty much nobody I know smokes anymore. At the same time, pretty much everyone I know drinks, and I have never come across much of anything about the harmful effects of alcohol in diving, except for that commonly held belief that because alcohol promotes dehydration, it increases somewhat the risk of DCS. Is there more to it? What do we know today about the harmful effects of alcohol in diving?
Alcohol and diving.
- Thread starter kr2y5
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K
KeithG
Guest
well, there is impaired judgement to think about. there are a few wrong decisions that can have very bad results.
a little alcohol after diving is just fine.
a little alcohol after diving is just fine.
Kharon
Contributor
Drinking severly impairs my enjoyment of diving. At my age, even a small amount the night before affects me negatively the next morning. I'd much rather be out the door very early feeling bright eyed rather than dragging my butt after sleeping in.
AdivingBel
Diver
Post deleted...Apologies...this is posted in a serious forum. Sorry.(embarrased)
Not much to add here. Don't drink enough that it's going to impair your performance the next day. If you derive pleasure from getting plastered, do it after you're all done diving.
Best regards,
DDM
Best regards,
DDM
The reason I asked is because, even though I do not smoke, I enjoyed reading the detailed article about the physiological impact of smoking on diving... for no particular reason, other than feeling more educated 
From your replies, I take it that the physiological impact of alcohol, specifically in the context of diving, is not quite as profound, or at least that there is no particularly exciting story to be told...
From your replies, I take it that the physiological impact of alcohol, specifically in the context of diving, is not quite as profound, or at least that there is no particularly exciting story to be told...
The reason I asked is because, even though I do not smoke, I enjoyed reading the detailed article about the physiological impact of smoking on diving... for no particular reason, other than feeling more educated
I'm guessing that there was a perceived need to detail the physiological impact of smoking on diving because it wasn't readily apparent to many people that their smoking might impact their diving. But since alcohol impairment is pretty well understood by the layperson, there probably isn't much perceived need for an article detailing the physiology of it as it relates to diving. In other words, I suspect it indeed would be an "exciting story" (I'd read it to feel more educated), but who among us really needs to read a detailed article about the physiological impact of alcohol on diving when it's beyond clear to us that we should avoid it?
Kharon
Contributor
Not necessarily clear to everyone. I've seen some seriously hungover people splash. Maybe they were looking for a Darwin Award.
dreamdive
Contributor
yes, and people have died diving being hung over (or having residual alcohol) and drugs in their system.
I doubt this kind of diver would have read the article on smoking, either. These people don't seem to me to be the target audience for the kind of in-depth articles the OP was talking about.
What I was trying to say is that we all know when we are hung over, etc., but smokers may not even be aware that they carry damage with them even if they haven't been smoking for the past day. So I can see why GUE might see some utility in exposing students to an article that details the physiological effects of smoking that are not readily apparent to most of us while not doing the same with articles about alcohol and drugs. It just seems obvious that if you're a GUE diver, you're not going to be inclined to dive hung over, but if you are/were a smoker you might not feel smoking is as big a deal.
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