Martini Effect -- No Consistent Definition

[irishsquid]

I can't recall a time when a few drinks made me almost panic

I can recall when a few stiff drinks, reduced my panic.

 

[irishsquid]

I can recall when a few stiff drinks, almost reduced my panic.

 

[rhwestfall]

I can't recall a time when a few drinks made me almost panic

panic sets in the next morning.....

 

[Darnold9999]

For the longest time could not figure out what all this talk of narcosis was about -- until I got a DSLR.

Things that I have no trouble figuring out on the surface are just completely beyond me past 100 feet. Even at 80 feet I find that trying to determine what the best settings for an individual shot can be a challenge. Same shot at 30 feet gives me no trouble at all.

For me the effects are nothing like being drunk, just feels more like that every 30 feet or so shaves off 10 - 15 IQ points. Some dives this is not an issue, as swimming around looking at the pretty fish does not require much in the way of smarts or problem solving. Other dives when I am trying to get just the perfect shot of some creature hidden in the coral it becomes really noticeable.

Dark nark is a whole other experience. Paranoia and a feeling of dread. Has only happened a couple of times and is no fun at all. First time freaking out while smoking pot describes it perfectly. If I can remember that far back.

 

[irishsquid]

...For me the effects are nothing like being drunk, just feels more like that every 30 feet or so shaves off 10 - 15 IQ points...

Sounds like drunk to me! IJS

 

[DevonDiver]

How would you describe a "narcotic effect" to someone who has never felt it (we are talking new divers here), presumably never had narcotics, and you want him or her to understand that their judgement is being affected as they go deeper?

Personally, I wouldn't use the 'martini effect' or any alcohol-related reference, because (unless very clearly defined and understood) it creates a very false misappreciation that the symptoms will feel like alcohol intoxication (feeling 'drunk'). That leads to many divers not recognizing a dangerous level of narcosis simply because they're only looking for a very rare presentation of symptoms that don't occur in most incidents.

Hence, you get a lot of divers who think they "don't get narc'd" below X or Y depth, just because they don't feel inebriated.

The 'martini effect' refers to the diminished mental capacity, not 'drunkenness' - its not a method to diagnose narcosis through presented symptoms.

I've never felt "narc'd" in respect of inebriated sensations - but I (used to) air dive down to 280ft+ Narcosis was debilitating at that depth... but there were never any symptoms approximating alcohol intoxication. It's hard to describe a 'sludgy mind'... like 'thinking through setting concrete'..having to 'mentally force coherence through brain neurons travelling in slow motion' or the occurrence of dive amnesia after an otherwise faultlessly performed technical dive.

It is to thinking, what being in waist deep water is to walking.

The best (only?) way to truly understand the onset of narcosis is to use helium. I dove certain sites hundreds of time on air... in the 100-130ft range.... and thought I was narcosis free in every respect. Then I dove the same site with normoxic trimix. I can only say that it was a very educational and insightful experience. It was like diving a different site. I just noticed 'more'... noticed 'everything'... all the details that just got 'greyed out' when diving on air. After hundreds of dives... suddenly I was seeing new things... small details... big details.... That was in recreational ranges... and the difference was staggering. Coincidentally, that was around the same time I stopped deep-deep air diving!

 

[Doppler]

I was looking around and found this little blog essay from a few years ago...

About Nitrogen… « Doppler's Tech Diving Blog

May be interesting to one or two of you folks.

 

[HowardE]

I was looking around and found this little blog essay from a few years ago...

About Nitrogen… « Doppler's Tech Diving Blog

May be interesting to one or two of you folks.

Me personally... I don't notice any narcosis effect until I'm at a PPN₂ of about 3.5. If I'm adding Helium, I try to keep my target depth to around a PPN₂ of 2.7-3 if possible.

I also found that cold water made the narcosis effect much much stronger...

I do believe that like any altered state, acclimation to that altered state can be achieved, and depending on the severity of the altered state, and your mental capacity to handle the fact that you're in an altered state, tasks can be performed and handled in simple fashion. Even at a PPN₂ or 4 or greater, I (personally) can feel the sensation of narcosis, and know that it's quite strong, and that I'm severely narced, but can still perform tasks. Although it requires a lot more focus to accomplish these tasks. I don't recommend this practice to beginner divers, or beginners with altered states.

 

[The Chairman]

it creates a very false misappreciation

Dude, I'll have whatever YOU'VE been drinking! Adouble negative and a made up word together in the same sentence! Now that's surface narcosis at it's finest.

 

[DevonDiver]

Dude, I'll have whatever YOU'VE been drinking! Adouble negative and a made up word together in the same sentence! Now that's surface narcosis at it's finest.

I'm allowed bad grammar... I got stung by a devil stonefish today. And typing with one finger only.

Still more coherent that knowone

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/misappreciation

It was a double negative though!