How much does drowning hurt?

[Idiotic_Idiot]

I've been thinking about it for a while. My only qualm is I really want the way I go out to be peaceful. Which, I know drowning isn't really. But how much does it actually hurt? As long as it's not excruciating I'm probably fine. I just like the idea of being swallowed up by the water. I'm not looking for a way to make it look like an accident, the way I'd planned it it wouldn't look like an accident anyway. But I just like the idea of being swallowed up by the vastness and blackness of it, I kinda wanna go out like that.

 

[Saai]

I imagine it'd be very uncomfortable. There's a reason waterboarding is a form of torture. Your body is programmed to seek oxygen. When CO2 starts building up in your blood your body forces you to breathe. When submerged, this reaction results in you breathing in water.

Idk what the physical sensation is of having your lungs fill with water I can't imagine it being very pleasant. I also don't know how long after that you'll pass out.

 

[Kundalini Guy]

Same, I just love how big and deep the ocean its a perfect resting place. It seems like it is initially painful but only for a few minutes till you black out, it really is a small price to pay for a basically gauranteed death if you have no one to save you. I would rate it 8/10 based on painfullness from what I researched, but it has much higher death rate so it makes up for it.

 

[sunshiningbackwards]

from everything I've read, definitely NOT the most painless way to CTB

 

[Idiotic_Idiot]

Same, I just love how big and deep the ocean its a perfect resting place. It seems like it is initially painful but only for a few minutes till you black out, it really is a small price to pay for a basically gauranteed death if you have no one to save you. I would rate it 8/10 based on painfullness from what I researched, but it has much higher death rate so it makes up for it.

Unfortunately I don't live anywhere near the ocean, so it would be a lake. It's a great lake at least though, so still pretty big and vast. Ocean would be nicer, but oh well lol

 

[Exit-Life]

I hear it's actually one of the worse ways of dying in terms of pain and suffering... Unless you're unconscious.

 

[sickofeverything7]

i obviously have never died from drowning however when i was younger i was a really really poor swimmer (still am) and i swam out a bit too far away, and thus technically have experienced what the starting stages atleast feel like, pure panic and fear (FOF kicks in) and from my memory it's like i just passed out in fear, but absolutely terrifying.

 

[Keysify]

it's one of the slowest way to die and so it is definitely NOT the most painless way to CTB.

 

[deadisbetter]

this is exactly the way i feel! i really just like to think of myself in the bottom of the river because can you imagine how peaceful that would be?

 

[Soulless Angel]

drowning and burning the two most painful ways to die, and poss virtually impossible to do via your own hand due to SI

 

[piratemonkey335]

drowning and burning the two most painful ways to die, and poss virtually impossible to do via your own hand due to SI

What if i tie something really heavy to my legs and jump in? SI will be impossible to make me fail?

 

[skylarwhiteyo104781]

Just think of a time when you were kid maybe and drowned in a pool or something. The survival instinct kicks in and it's very scary. I get the metaphorical part is cool but the process itself you would experience would not be pleasant at all- until that is you pass out which I don't know how long that would take.

 

[aliasblue.]

I've been thinking about it for a while. My only qualm is I really want the way I go out to be peaceful. Which, I know drowning isn't really. But how much does it actually hurt? As long as it's not excruciating I'm probably fine. I just like the idea of being swallowed up by the water. I'm not looking for a way to make it look like an accident, the way I'd planned it it wouldn't look like an accident anyway. But I just like the idea of being swallowed up by the vastness and blackness of it, I kinda wanna go out like that.

I feel like more than pain, your SI will be clawing and screaming at you to live. Maybe if you have strong mental fortitude, you can resist it but if not, then it'll be a very scary experience.

 

[looking_for_peace]

I used to be terrified of drowning so I've done a lot of research on this. I've heard different things from different people. some say that it is peaceful, in that you aren't really aware of what's happening. one moment they're there, and the next they're gone. others say it is painful and terrifying. IMO, it's only peaceful if you're not aware you are drowning, which is surprisingly common. it also depends on whether you're drowning in a chlorinated pool or an ocean. chlorine will burn your throat, but apparently salt-water doesn't.

 

[bluebird16]

Since I have no way of obtaining SN (IC is not available anymore), I'm afraid that this or the hanging are the only methods left for me.

 

[Unwr!tten]

Just think of a time when you were kid maybe and drowned in a pool or something. The survival instinct kicks in and it's very scary. I get the metaphorical part is cool but the process itself you would experience would not be pleasant at all- until that is you pass out which I don't know how long that would take.

I almost drowned when I was very young— six and though I was in a chlorine pool, I don't remember it hurting. I just remember trying to get to the top, panicking, passing out and waking up as I had been pulled out of the pool. Even if the actual drowning takes a bit, I think panic makes time speed up.

 

[soolka]

i almost drowned once and it was quite painful. this burning sensation filled my body

 

[Unwr!tten]

i almost drowned once and it was quite painful. this burning sensation filled my body

How old were you? Maybe it was different for me because I was so young and could only focus on the panicking?

 

[NoLightRemains]

drowning and burning the two most painful ways to die, and poss virtually impossible to do via your own hand due to SI

This. Drowning is like a small step below self immolation in my eyes. I could never.

 

[that smell]

What if i tie something really heavy to my legs and jump in? SI will be impossible to make me fail?

If the water is really deep I think the quick sinking and pressure change would also add to the pain factor but you'd be more likely to succeed surely.

 

[soolka]

How old were you? Maybe it was different for me because I was so young and could only focus on the panicking?

i was 11-12 if i remember right

 

[sanction]

I'm constantly thinking of drowning as my method to go. Mainly because it is a very guaranteed way of successfully dying. Compared to lets say hanging, or some other method, where if you fail, then you will be in big trouble, such as becoming permanently disabled. But for drowning, it is as simple as finding a river, lake, ocean, etc. and just go there during a time where you know there won't be people around, and just jump in, then in a few short minutes everything will be finally and forever over. The only thing is being able to overcome that few minutes of pain and discomfort. But I am constantly considering this, due to it having extremely low chance of failure and simple to execute

 

[piratemonkey335]

If the water is really deep I think the quick sinking and pressure change would also add to the pain factor but you'd be more likely to succeed surely.

ah ok so SI will be eliminated as a factor to make me fail, but pain will increase. What if I use the swb method before going in?

 

[plurkid]

I almost drowned when I was very young— six and though I was in a chlorine pool, I don't remember it hurting. I just remember trying to get to the top, panicking, passing out and waking up as I had been pulled out of the pool. Even if the actual drowning takes a bit, I think panic makes time speed up.

Do you have any sense of time on how long it took to pass out? I know in those moments your body automatically forces you to go into "gasp for air" mode even if you want to die, but I don't mind that so long as the unconsciousness comes within a minute or maybe up to 3

 

[Unwr!tten]

Do you have any sense of time on how long it took to pass out? I know in those moments your body automatically forces you to go into "gasp for air" mode even if you want to die, but I don't mind that so long as the unconsciousness comes within a minute or maybe up to 3

It depends on the person. I was a little kid so it might've been quicker for me, maybe three-five minutes at most but a grown adult might be 4-5+ mins.

 

[Skyyyfarer 26]

I am considering drowning as a method too and to deal with si i have considered getting intoxicated and heavily drunk but I don't know if it'll work so im also researching other methods

 

[free.maia]

it's painful. unless you try to pull off swb or get heavily intoxicated, the actual feeling of drowning is terrifying and painful

 

[Dying Knight]

Personal accounts of the tranquil perceptions associated with drowning in a range of water temperatures and immersion scenarios.

Respondent
	Aspiration group
5	I felt at peace.
7	Struggling followed by feeling 'damn pleasant'.
9	It hurts so badly, then dizzy then calm. Hallucinate.
10	I give in to the lack of oxygen, going limp and at this moment there's no pain or fear. It's just simple and peaceful.
14	I just started breathing. It was quite peaceful not painful. I mean I started thinking, well at least I know that I will die peacefully.
16	I finally inhaled (water). All the tension in my chest instantly cleared and it felt almost as if I were breathing in air. I was cold which was alarming considering the water was warm, but I didn't exactly care. My whole body had gone lax and I let my eyes slip shut. It felt just like falling asleep.
26	I realized that no one could save me and I began to just relax. I couldn't move, didn't want to move. I thought to myself wow this is a stupid way to die. I wonder what happens next. And it's like the moment I calmed down I couldn't feel anything. It felt like meditation.
29	Immediately (after inhaling water) you will feel very relaxed and peaceful for a moment or two, also with no fear, until everything goes black and you pass out.
34	It burned at first, but since the water was cold, it soothed me.
	Non-aspiration group
4	My lungs had more or less given out, and there was no pain, just comfort.
5	I felt at peace and knowing that I was gonna die, I wasn't afraid.
13	Just a second or two later the 'panic' feeling left me. The next thing I knew I was looking at a moving wall of beautiful colours; sea shells, sea fish, quiet, beautiful as my body slowly drifted down, down, down. No panic, no pain, no regrets, worries etc., the most pleasant experience I've ever had.
19	That peaceful feeling is all part of the euphoria most people feel before death. If you die drowning, I would say it's one of the more peaceful ways to go. After the worst 15 seconds of your life of course.
25	It was more of a numb feeling than anything. Kind of distant, like I was watching everything unfold from a different perspective, like it wasn't really me that was experiencing everything. I think my mind was too dulled by panic and fear and exhaustion to really notice any pain at all.
31	All I can remember was it seems like I was looking through a kaleidoscope of pretty colours. I would've disappeared into oblivion peacefully and painlessly.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8928428/

 

[voyager]

I drowned when I was three. Can't remember much, mostly because of my age and/or possible trauma. Last thing I remember was kneeling at the side of the pool trying to fill one of my toys with water. That's all. My friend then ran around the house to the front garden to fetch my mum. By the time she got there I was already floating face down in the water unconscious. Can't have been more than a minute or two. The doctors later said that I must've been screaming in panic (couldn't swim at the time) and therefore took in the water immediately and passed out.

Since I can't recall, I can't tell you what it feels like, but I did consider this method for a while before coming here, it just seemed the logical exit. Thought about different ways to dive below the surface, see the sun above (always thought that was beautiful) and end it there somehow. Even considered a block of concrete chained to my leg. Plus, it seemed an appealing way of getting rid of my body.

From what I've learned, just as was in my case, if one gets the water in one's lungs it's rather quick and not too painful, since one naturally passes out at that stage and the rest happens while one is unconscious. But that's the big caveat (!), and one can't stress this enough, it's not that simple doing this and it'll probably be agony, similar to holding one's breath, before getting to that point. Would heavily intoxicate myself for sure to lessen the sheer terror and then try to take a big gasp or alternatively devise a means of deep unconsciousness beforehand and then drown.

The following is a drowning scene from the Japanese film Harmonium. It's beautiful and how I always imagined it. It's not graphic, but be sure to use headphones or proper speakers, it's a waste otherwise. Password is: dive

 

[Amyend88]

It sounds scary. I don't think I could try it.