Drinking and Diving

[Rick Murchison]

Of course not, but I do have a couple of handy references if you're interested. http://scuba-doc.com/alch.htm
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=39

Neither source addresses a beer (or two, or three) after diving as a contributor to DCS risk from the previous dives. All of the detrimental affects refer to diving after drinking; the principle concern from a DCS standpoint is dehydration, and degraded overall performance from impaired judgment and motor skills.
Indeed, like "a glass of red wine a day" having been found a positive in avoiding many health problems, a beer (or other alcoholic drink) after the diving day likely assists off-gassing through its mild vasodilation and increased peripheral blood perfusion in chilled tissues.
Now, if you define "they drink after diving" as getting knee-walking, commode hugging drunk, then you probably have a point, but I find your flat statement that "they drink after diving, which can lead to decompression sickness" more than a little misleading. To my knowledge there is no documented correlation, nor does my experience support the notion that a drink or two after the diving day promotes DCS from the previous dives.
There is ample evidence that the dehydration typical with a hangover does promote DCS if one goes diving in that condition, and if that's what you're trying to say then you have a point there, too (though that ain't the way your post reads to me). There is no place in diving for the "hard drinkin' & hard divin'" days of yesteryear. It is also true that if you do have a beer or other drink after the diving day that you should allow plenty of time to flush your system of alcohol (hence the 8+1hr per drink rule) and take proactive steps to assure adequate hydration (in addition to plenty of fluids between waking and diving, a glass of water between drinks has the double benefit of helping retain hydration and slowing and reducing total alcohol consumption) for the next day's dives, but in this case the same can be said for caffeine.
Bottom line: For me, a post dive day beer (or rum) is a good and joyous thing.
I intend to keep it up...
Rick

 

[paradicio]

The night before I dive I limit myself to 1 beer, if I even have that. I don't drink at all during SI, it's honestly not something I've ever considered. During an SI, I usually crave Gatorade, Vitaminwater, or just plain water.

Of course, when the diving is done it's time to have a few! Nothing like sitting around the bar with my dive buddies having a few brews talking about diving. That's just a good time.

I've actually scheduled my Hawaii trip to give myself an extra day to drink after all the diving is done. Gotta wait 24hrs to fly anyways.

 

[MeiLing]

Now, if you define "they drink after diving" as getting knee-walking, commode hugging drunk, then you probably have a point, but I find your flat statement that "they drink after diving, which can lead to decompression sickness" more than a little misleading. Rick

Many heavy drinkers can drink quite a lot and never come close to being knee-walking, commode hugging drunk!

Are they safe to drive or dive? Not in my opinion! Is their hydration totally messed up the next day? On that point, I'd be willing to bet my next paycheck that the answer is yes! I know someone who got bent the day after a heavy night. I know how much he drank and he was not anywhere near knee-walking or commode hugging the night before!

I don't think one or two beers during a long surface interval is going to get you bent or seriously impair your judgement, but why take the risk?

 

[Walter]

Neither source addresses a beer (or two, or three) after diving as a contributor to DCS risk from the previous dives. All of the detrimental affects refer to diving after drinking; the principle concern from a DCS standpoint is dehydration, and degraded overall performance from impaired judgment and motor skills.
Indeed, like "a glass of red wine a day" having been found a positive in avoiding many health problems, a beer (or other alcoholic drink) after the diving day likely assists off-gassing through its mild vasodilation and increased peripheral blood perfusion in chilled tissues.
Now, if you define "they drink after diving" as getting knee-walking, commode hugging drunk, then you probably have a point, but I find your flat statement that "they drink after diving, which can lead to decompression sickness" more than a little misleading. To my knowledge there is no documented correlation, nor does my experience support the notion that a drink or two after the diving day promotes DCS from the previous dives.
There is ample evidence that the dehydration typical with a hangover does promote DCS if one goes diving in that condition, and if that's what you're trying to say then you have a point there, too (though that ain't the way your post reads to me). There is no place in diving for the "hard drinkin' & hard divin'" days of yesteryear. It is also true that if you do have a beer or other drink after the diving day that you should allow plenty of time to flush your system of alcohol (hence the 8+1hr per drink rule) and take proactive steps to assure adequate hydration (in addition to plenty of fluids between waking and diving, a glass of water between drinks has the double benefit of helping retain hydration and slowing and reducing total alcohol consumption) for the next day's dives, but in this case the same can be said for caffeine.
Bottom line: For me, a post dive day beer (or rum) is a good and joyous thing.
I intend to keep it up...
Rick

No arguments there. I should have been more specific. I was not referring to a beer or two. In fact, I had a beer during the invasion trip.

 

[DiverBizz]

Don't forget hydrate immediately after the dives are over. Drink water first then have your beer. I personally would not drink immediately after a dive but I am very cautious.

 

[tracydr]

How many divers dive while taking narcotics (vicoden, percocet, ativan, xanax, soma)?

 

[Thrillhouse]

Alright, here's some more clarity on how it happened in my case:

We never party the night before a dive, for obvious reasons. Instead, we both get a good rest, have a full breakfast, and then get out there, in this case by about 2PM. We did our first dive, and due to the fact we had to lug about 50 lbs of gear up a hill after, we were both totally starved. We packed everything up and went to a nearby resaurant and had a hearty serving of cheeseburgers, ceasar salad, and both a sleeve of beer and a sleeve of ice-water each. As college-students who drink, well, very often, we both have a decent tollerance to drinking, and a sleeve (not even a pint) with water, a big meal, and two hours on the surface didn't even make us think twice about the dive. I had absolutely no concerns about hydration either, as, again, we had a beer with a big glass of water, and felt completely fine.

Seems there's also a cultural thing about drinking and such at work here as well... I'd imagine divers in, say, Europe to be more open towards a (singular) drink with lunch while doing scuba as opposed to more conservative North American peoples.

 

[Tim Greaves]

I'd be willing to bet my next paycheck that the answer is yes!

Well that depends on how much you make.. :light:

 

[MeiLing]

Well that depends on how much you make.. :light:

Enough that I wouldn't risk it on a bet where I'd have any chance of losing!

 

[ReefHound]

We never party the night before a dive, for obvious reasons. Instead, we both get a good rest, have a full breakfast, and then get out there, in this case by about 2PM. We did our first dive, and due to the fact we had to lug about 50 lbs of gear up a hill after, we were both totally starved. We packed everything up and went to a nearby resaurant and had a hearty serving of cheeseburgers, ceasar salad, and both a sleeve of beer and a sleeve of ice-water each.

Your biggest DCS here wasn't the beer, it was the post-dive strenuous exercise that has been shown to increase bubble formation and higher incidence of DCS.