26 replies to this topic

[chinacat46]

Well I won't drink when I'm diving but I still don't mind having a few after I'm done for the day. In Feb. I was on the Sundancer II in Belize and they have a policy where you can have a glass of wine with dinner and still do the night dive. I have to admit that I did have a few sips on my birthday and still did the night dive. I don't think it's a good policy and I didn't dive with anybody who did drink a glass. But once I got out of the water after the night dive they brought me a warm towel and hot chocolate with Kahula and Rum in it. I had no problem with that. On that trip I did 24 dives over 5 and half days. The most I had any night except the last was 3 drinks and was normally in bed before 9:30. The drinks were included in the price so you could drink yourself silly if you wanted to. However, everybody there came to dive not to drink. I think if you want to drink go on a cruise. Friends don't let friends drink and dive.

[No Pressure]

Great responses, all. I admit that I tweaked the thread a little. It is good to hear that the responding members of SD.com are conservative and careful. I will say that I have a tradition of having a drink at the bar on the way from the ocean to my room after my last dive of the day. My occasional dive buddy and I started that as a means of toasting our good fortune to be away from work, in a good place in life and the world, and doing something that we both enjoy (diving), with a good friend. I may have another couple of drinks that evening with dinner/ dancing (where is that air guitar?). I will emphasize the point that others have made. Drink lots of water/ non-alcoholic beverages in between.
The real questions on this thread re: drinking then diving in the morning are:
What can hurt me in the morning. What can ruin my dive, or my life.
As we have discussed, dehydration increases the risk of DCS. Lack of sleep and/ or hangover decrease concentration. Both may change the way my day progresses. I try to have at least 2 glasses of water or non-alcoholic beverages after each alcoholic drink. That way, at least my bladder controls some of my activities.
So summary regarding drinking and diving, particularly in multidive/ multiday trips is: If you find yourself drinking a lot, and/ or are out very late (or get lucky) then stay in bed in the morning (benefits to that too). There is always the afternoon to dive, or catch some sun. It is much better to listen to the stories of the divers as they get back, than tell your own story of your trip to the chamber.

[Laura]

I used to be quite the party girl when I was younger, but now I drink very little if at all. I just don't think it is worth the added risk of DCS, not to mention the cost, the carbs, the empty calories, etc.

But, I am still the same ole wild and crazy gal...meaning I might dance on a table if you double-dog-dare me to !!

If you are going to drink, make it 12 hours from bottle to bottom, and do not drink and dive.

Party on Garth!!!!

Laura

[mischievous]

But, I am still the same ole wild and crazy gal...meaning I might dance on a table if you double-dog-dare me to !!

great advice everyone! Laura, thanks for the hint. when you come out with us, be sure that i'll double-dog dare you!

[DandyDon]

I know the first response to the thread question of mixing diving and drinking is going to be "OF COURSE NOT!" (Don, I expect you here).

General Patton here, as requested...

Really, y'all have covered this well, but I'll add my thoughts, in case I might hit something different that may help someone?? And it's not just about dehydration, either...

I have a reputation in some diving circles as being inflexible about boozing, which is funny, as my lifelong record would give a totally differnet idea. I've been in jail more than once for alcohol abuse over the years, and I tell ya' - going to sleep drunk in jail ain't so bad, but waking up with a hangover in a drunk tank, no coffee or smokes, is damned rough! Waking up in a hospital after rolling a rental car at a high rate of speed was also bad; it's been nearly 40 years, but I'll never forget.

Still have no idea what I'll be when I grow up, but in my advanced age, I am trying to do better. I still drink, dance, and drive, but I'm much more controlled. writing down the time of each beer on my hand with a laundry marker, following recognized charts for a person my weight beer drinking over a few hours, and leaving the bar with a Blood Alcohol level of under 0.005, or in a cab - no bluffing beyond that. I also carry a Breathalizer similar to those carried by cops, and double check that on the meter.

Now that I've qualified myself as a Problem Drinker - now I'll comment on drinking on a dive trip. My feelings are actually more liberal than North American standards - no more than one beer per surface interval, as I think some Brits do it, but my practices are more in line with the standards:
(1) No drinking until thru for the day, no diving after drinking;
(2) 2 or 3 beers or glasses of wine with/after dinner - no tequila or partying;
(3) In bed, sober, with someone by midnight for 8am dive trips. And "sober" to be is 0.05 - well below the 0.08 national driving limit, so that if a 200# man metabolize 0.005 per hour, we'll be down to 0.01 by 8am. That's still some alcohol, but negligible.

Funny thing, that even with with my very liberal attidudes, the booze is never important to me. If I don't drink for a day, week, or whatever, on a trip or at home, that's fine. I wonder if we give alcohol a more important positions that it deserves? "Why bother?" is also acceptable for me.

Personally, l don't see the use in having 1 if l'm not gonna have more

Yeah, we can skip it.

Or another view:

I know I seem to forget pretty quickly how many I've had.

In that case, don't start.

Okay, so I commented...

[mischievous]

(3) In bed, sober, with someone by midnight for 8am dive trips.

now i understand his username! ...thanks DD, i've been showing this thread to some friends that really want to go diving but they're really irresponsible drinkers. i told them not to dream of being my buddy if they can't kick the habit (or at least control it).

[drbill]

Dandy Don- I just can't believe that account of your history! Why you were such a sweet, tame, respectable diver when you came out to Catalina! At our age we have to be careful... I think of the damage I did to myself in my early years and it's a wonder there's still anything left. Of course we were all much more resilient then.

I only did two shallow dives yesterday and my housemate found me snoring logs on the couch when she came home. No, it couldn't have been the diving... I think it was the long surface intervals in record heat yesterday. I hope.

Dr. B

Edited by drbill, 26 April 2004 - 12:15 PM.

[mischievous]

yeah...i heard that it was hotter than tx in your neck of the woods. why is it that the sun drains us of energy? i often get tired after being exposed to the sun as well.

[drbill]

Funny, I don't mind the heat when I'm in the tropics. Of course our heat here is a dry one and it does seem to be more tiring for some reason. I made the mistake of not bringing my hat, but I did keep well hydrated while waiting.

Dr. B.

[DandyDon]

Dandy Don- I just can't believe that account of your history! Why you were such a sweet, tame, respectable diver when you came out to Catalina!

Right or wrong, I thought I'd share my bad record, so I wouldn't be some Church Lady preaching. At best, I'm reformed, now preaching, but - maybe my mistakes will help others.

Yep, when I'm diving, I'm tame. Wasn't so serious at first, taking Kalula laced coffee on dive boats my first few months, but I got corrected. Now, when I'm diving, I practice a safe standard, set a better example, suggest it to others, and - object when they party past midnight, with plans on diving around me.

Dehydration is a large part of getting bent, I'm sure, but showing up at the boat with a significant Blood Alcohol level will also affect the diver in other, dangerous ways. A 200# man who starts drinking at 8pm, drinking 6-8 beers, then boarding a boat at 8am - will still have 0.06 to 0.10 Blood Alcohol level. That's legally drunk. If s/he got less than 6-8 hours of sleep, s/he's worse off - to deal with Decompression, Narcosis, Technical Challenges of Diving, etc. If s/he weighs less than 200#, it's even worse. Then add the Mystery Factor, in that we don't know all we wished we did about pressurizing our bodies. God/Evolution did not design us to operate on more than 1 Atmosphere...?!

So, if I get drunk, don't dive. I can get as screwed up as I might desire in Texas. Why would I want to train, buy gear, take time off, buy tickets, fly somewhere, etc, then - abuse alcohol instead of diving...?

So call me names, but that's my story, and I'm sticking to it...

[sunlover]

I'll add my 2 cents: On a liveaboard I'll have wine with dinner but only if no night dive is pending. On a land based trip, I agree with Dr.Mark. A beer after the last dive of the day is a "tradition" with me. I enjoy trying local beers to "experience the local culture" and improve the local economy. I usually don't have but 1-2 . Too much alcohol is incompatible with an 8:00am boat ride. Now, after the diving is over and the next day is not an issue and there's a beach, pool, or hot tub and attractive women in minimal swimwear, then all bets are off. As best I can remember I've had some pretty good times. Lost a few swimsuits though. Tom.

[No Pressure]

yeah...i heard that it was hotter than tx in your neck of the woods. why is it that the sun drains us of energy? i often get tired after being exposed to the sun as well.

Depends on how much you expose, sweetie!

Don, I knew I could count on you to respond, I just didn't know how! Most excellent comments, and again, welcome back from "the other board".
To all, most or us are old/ experienced/ wise enough to know that some of the things we used to have to drink before we would consider doing, we now do sober! And now we remember it!