Drinking the Night before a dive

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Agree

Also just being clear of BAC doesn't = a fun dive if you're still feeling the after-effects (dehydration, nausea etc)

At the end of the day, diving should be enjoyable, not just doable - even more so for new divers like the OP
 
Scubadog, if you think nothing of having a beer and then going diving, you are in the very small list of people with whom I really don't want to dive. Narcosis is bad enough; I don't want my teammates adding acute alcohol ingestion to it!

Fair enough. I completely respect your right to choose. And just to clarify, we are talking about A beer here and I am in no way promoting or advocating drunk diving.

Regarding the OP's question, I do apply some common sense in my personal decisions. If I was diving the Diamond Knot in the morning then my previous nights activities would be different than if I am on vaca and diving Bari Reef off Bonaire in the morning.

And...no offense..... but someone that uses the term "acute alcohol ingestion" when talking about someone having A beer, probably would be on my list of people with whom I really would not want to dive with either. So we are both good to go in that respect.

Anyway... like I already said. To each his (or her) own.... as long as their decision doesn't directly impact or affect someone else's safety or rights.

If I'm going diving and someone is concerned about the fact that I had a few drinks the night before, or even that I had A beer earlier that day, then I most certainly respect their right to choose to stay on the boat or on shore and discuss the virtues of clean living while flying their kite. Or.... they can mind their business and go diving. Either way is cool with me.
 
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There is the same amount of alcohol in one ounce of liquor, 4 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer

Good as a general guideline, perhaps worth pointing out that it depends... different strangths of beer, different varieties of red/white wine and different proofs of liquor change the ratio
 
The key to not being hung over the morning of a dive is get an IV 1st thing after you wake up. Fastest re-hydration method I know of.
 
I really think you guys are being a bit oversensitive, but if I offended the OP by calling his question stupid then I apologise. I just don't think How long should I wait to dive after "drinking a lot of scotch" is a well-phrased question, especially from an uncertified non-diver - nevertheless I did my best to answer it, as did a lot of other people

When I was a novice I didn't drink a lot of anything before diving

granwiscour if you want to see a beating, try posting a deep air thread
I agree. " A lot of scotch" could be anything from two shots to a fifth, depending on the what a person thinks is "a lot".
 
As long as you are not drunk or to hung over to dive I would say you should be good. The rule I go by is I do all my dives for that day, then I start drinking, the next morning repeat the cycle.
 
Good as a general guideline, perhaps worth pointing out that it depends... different strangths of beer, different varieties of red/white wine and different proofs of liquor change the ratio
Boy, is that the truth! Some of the beers at Four Peaks Brewery's are 6.5% alcohol, some are closer to 4%. I think the lighter cooler beers are usually actually stronger there, the IPAs, for instance.
However, I once got drunk once off of their Oatmeal Stout ice cream float! I can only drink one of their beers and have a serious buzz from them.
I'm kind of a lightweight anyway, though.
 
Fortunately for my calculation ability, the readily available alcohol in Mexico and other Caribbean destinations is pretty standard: tequila, rum, wine and various fairly generic lagers that hover around 4-5% ABV. A modest-sized margarita, glass of wine or a beer are probably pretty similar in alcohol content.
 
From a near-newbie to a complete newbie: For my first 30 logged dives, I'd abstain completely or have maximum one beer the night before diving. This summer vacation I dived in Italy, and the late suppers combined with the wine those Italians seem to consider compulsory with any supper gave me a slight buzz before going to bed. I only had a couple of glasses of wine, drank a lot of water with the wine and was careful to avoid drinking enough to feel hung over the morning after and didn't have any problems diving. In fact, I didn't feel any difference compared to going totally dry the night before.

I'd still call the morning dive if I were feeling hung over, though.
 
Boy, is that the truth! Some of the beers at Four Peaks Brewery's are 6.5% alcohol, some are closer to 4%. I think the lighter cooler beers are usually actually stronger there, the IPAs, for instance.
However, I once got drunk once off of their Oatmeal Stout ice cream float! I can only drink one of their beers and have a serious buzz from them.
I'm kind of a lightweight anyway, though.

I live in Belgium. The only exception to definition of "unit of alcohol" being the same in a shot of licquor, a glas of wine or a beer is Belgian beers. The amount is 30% more and the alcohol percentage is in many cases double or more. So "A beer" amounts to 2,5 normal lagers in some cases. For example a famous dark trappist is rated at 11.3% alcohol in a 33cl standard bottle, drinking 1 of them is like drinking 3 lagers. ( Rochefort Trappistes 10 - 100 at RateBeer-)
 

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