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Comment by pinkmuffinere | Hacker News Reader

> you can drown on dry land with a tablespoon of water

I know you can down in very little water, but really a tablespoon? How does that work? Is this a literal claim, or more of a cautionary hyperbole?

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The rule of thumb is 1mL per Kg bodyweight, so a child can drown with less than 15mL of water in their lungs. The most common mechanisms are laryngospasm or contraction of the laryngeal muscles closing the airway (dry drowning) or pulmonary oedema caused by irritating of the alveoli (secondary drowning).

I'd imagine it's hyperbole. A tbsp is likely enough to just snort and not have (too many) issues. People do drown in surprisingly shallow waters, however.

It’s not hyperbole. It requires prior incapacitation, but if you’re unconscious then even a tiny amount of water can kill you.

Similarly, intoxication vastly degrades the instincts that would otherwise keep you alive. I will never understand how people think getting drunk is _fun_.

>It’s not hyperbole. It requires prior incapacitation, but if you’re unconscious then even a tiny amount of water can kill you.

Very interesting. I did not consider this case, as well as the mechanism the other reply described. Thanks, safety tip noted

>I will never understand how people think getting drunk is _fun_

Haha, I definitely do.

Re: intoxication, I don’t really like drinking either, but I can kindof understand the appeal. It makes me overthink everything less, so I can be more unfiltered. That can be fun, especially for dancing/stuff like that — if you feel self-conscious while dancing I’d recommend trying a couple drinks first. But I’m not a perfect person, and usually I want some filter, I rarely drink

I believe the mechanism is the water causes your throat to constrict choking off your air supply. It’s not the water entering your lungs that does it

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