Nitrogen narcosis and alcohol use.

[adurso]

Users of intoxicants may become habituated to the effects of said intoxicants.

Standardized Field Sobriety Testing was developed by NHTSA because of the habituation phenomena; a heavy drinker develops coping skills to continue to operate a motor vehicle.

I would imagine the same phenomena applies to those experiencing the effects of narcosis often enough.

I am unlucky enough to have never experienced the "rapture of the depths"; I "dark nark", anxiety, paranoia and so on....I never get the hazy nice "let me share my air with the fish" feeling.....

 

[DocVikingo]

That being said, Hobbs published a 2008 study that investigated this. The results from Experiment 2 point to a positive correlation between alcohol and narcosis.

The findings of this research are rather complex, e.g., behavioral v subjective measures across heavy v light drinkers and novice v experienced divers. The Abstract does not convey this well. Therefore, I am including a URL to the full text article --> http://www.uhms.org/portals/0/uhm/vol35/35_3/2135hobbs-5-31.pdf

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[LakeCountyDiver]

Why I would relate this to drinking I dont understand. Yes the feelings may be simmilar but I would not say a heavy drinker will get less narced. It is just like anything else long term exposure will build up a tollerance. The more deeper dives you do the less susceptible you are to it that is a fact. Just like the more you drink the more it takes. But to say they are related is just wrong in my opinion.

There is alot more that determines your susceptiblity to narcosis then just long term exposure. Health,temp,mood, even diet.

Know your limits and know them well.

 

[Rhone Man]

I am unlucky enough to have never experienced the "rapture of the depths"; I "dark nark", anxiety, paranoia and so on....I never get the hazy nice "let me share my air with the fish" feeling.....

Keep trying - you don't want to miss that experience - holding out your arms to the side singing "I believe I can fly" by R.Kelly through your regulator... ah the good old days!

 

[Blackwood]

• I don't entirely buy Andy's point that nitrogen operates as an anaesthetic. It certainly has hallucinogenic qualities if you go deep enough, and (medical bods correct me) I didn't think that was a normal property of an anaesthetic.

"AT PRESSURES above 1 atm inert gases such as xenon and nitrogen exert anesthetic effects..."

Nitrogen narcosis and pressure reversal of anesthetic effects in node of Ranvier ? Am J Physiol Cell Physiol

 

[Blackwood]

deleted

 

[DaleC]

Do they develop a tolerance or just think they do?

A non drinker, given a couple of shots and getting behind the wheel, would probably report being impaired. A heavy drinker, given a couple of shots and getting behind the wheel, would probably report being in control.
The question is, are they?
The heavy drinker may not acknowledge the effects of narcossis because they are accustomed to fuzzy headed thinking but may in fact still be under its effect. The non drinker would probably be much more aware when their reality is being altered.

 

[adurso]

Keep trying - you don't want to miss that experience - holding out your arms to the side singing "I believe I can fly" by R.Kelly through your regulator... ah the good old days!

Even in warm water, deep on air I get the dark version...of course that probably says something about me rather than the phenomena in general...

 

[LakeCountyDiver]

Keep trying - you don't want to miss that experience - holding out your arms to the side singing "I believe I can fly" by R.Kelly through your regulator... ah the good old days!

BHAHAHAHHAHAHA Hhahahahha hahhahahaha O this is great I've done that.

 

[Rhone Man]

Even in warm water, deep on air I get the dark version...of course that probably says something about me rather than the phenomena in general...

I find it highly variable what kind of narc I get. I have only had hallucinations once (very scary...). I usually get the happy buzz, but sometimes I get the paranoia. Never been able to figure a link between when I get which, but I probably don't do enough really deep diving to spot patterns.