Drowning: A peaceful way to go?

[Sasquatch]

How did we get on the topic of suicide? I mean it's a fascinating, if not morbid, topic.

The premise from the issue of Undercurrent with the cave divin' suicidal Croatian is just silly. Yet, here we are.

I'm tellin' ya...just bite the capsule.

 

[sciguyman]

.

My second choice for suicide would be freezing to death. Once you get past the feeling really cold part, it's reported to be a very peacful way to drift off and die. Of course with my luck some well meaning jerk would find my badly frostbitten carcass and "save" me in time to enjoy the painful loss of lots of frostbitten body parts.

I agree, freezing to death probably wouldn't be that bad. I've been reasonably close once (though, being as I'm writing this, I'll never really know how close), and it was quite nice. You really do get that "warm, fuzzy" feeling inside. The recovery from it is painful though.

 

[bperrybap]

Years ago I watched a show on PBS about a guy doing research
on drowning. He did controlled experiments that he carefully
filmed where he drowned.
He had a standby team to revive him each time - YES he
actually did it more than once.
To endusure that he would drown he injected his legs with something to numb them so they didn't work and added a bit
of weight to them.
Once he was numb, he was dropped into ice water.
I remember seeing him bobbing and flapping his arms a bit
before going under.
It was pretty freaky. Up until he went unconcious, it sure
didn't look very peaceful.

I'll have to see if I can find any links to this.

--- bill

 

[Ed Palma]

What a thoroughly morbid topic!

Couldn't stop reading!

Can't wait for a link to that PBS special.

On the other had, I fully support this way to go:

Having sex with a 21 year old virgin on my 100th birthday would be my preferred way to go. Otherwise, I ain't going! That, of course, assumes there ARE 21-year old virgins by the time I reach my 100th birthday.

:lol:

However, given the natural course of things, I'd probably die of frustration for NOT being able to.

 

[Nevis Diver]

I agree, freezing to death probably wouldn't be that bad. I've been reasonably close once (though, being as I'm writing this, I'll never really know how close), and it was quite nice. You really do get that "warm, fuzzy" feeling inside. The recovery from it is painful though.

On the day I summited Mt. Kilimanjaro (Western Breach route) I was very tired from taking a side trek to the crater when everyone else was sleeping, like I should have been. Without getting into details, halfway up to the summit I was colder than I ever remember but it was not painful....not exactly warm and fuzzy, but all I wanted was to go tho sleep and I was comfortable doing it. If my guide had not been there, I would have confortably fallen aslleep and froze to death. BTW, I was really glad my guide was there.

 

[freediver]

Years ago I watched a show on PBS about a guy doing research
on drowning. He did controlled experiments that he carefully
filmed where he drowned.
He had a standby team to revive him each time - YES he
actually did it more than once.
To endusure that he would drown he injected his legs with something to numb them so they didn't work and added a bit
of weight to them.
Once he was numb, he was dropped into ice water.
I remember seeing him bobbing and flapping his arms a bit
before going under.
It was pretty freaky. Up until he went unconcious, it sure
didn't look very peaceful.

I'll have to see if I can find any links to this.

--- bill

Interesting. In fact, video surveillance is how we know how distressed swimmers and drowning persons behave in the water.

 

[erparamedic]

I agree, freezing to death probably wouldn't be that bad.

I absolutely HATE to be cold... I don't think that freezing to death would be my ideal way to go. I'd like to go in my sleep, or as my grandpa did.... just fall over dead. No suffering.

 

[ReefHound]

Seems to me there are two distinct phases. The first is the desperate attempt at survival, the fight against the urge to breath, the struggle to get air and not take in water. That part is violent and traumatic. But from all accounts I've heard, once you inhale water you lose consiousness or go into shock. I've never heard of someone with full lungs of water still struggling, or someone being pulled out of the water conscious but having already inhaled water.

So the question is could you force yourself to inhale the water if you wanted to die or knew your fate was sealed and wanted to avoid the first phase?

As for best way to check out on purpose, I'd go skydiving and simply not pull the cord.

 

[freediver]

So the question is could you force yourself to inhale the water if you wanted to die or knew your fate was sealed and wanted to avoid the first phase?

Due to the reflexive closing action of the glottis, this would be near impossible without a serious struggling response.

 

[Hank49]

Having sex with a 21 year old virgin on my 100th birthday would be my preferred way to go. Otherwise, I ain't going! That, of course, assumes there ARE 21-year old virgins by the time I reach my 100th birthday.

:lol: if she IS still a virgin at 21, you probably wouldn't want to have sex with her...