starvation. getting mixed messages

[stupidldiot]

well like the title says really. i've always liked the idea of pitching a tent somewhere remote or in a cave or something with a very comfy sleeping bag and then just wasting away, smoking at times, observing nature, drinking minute amounts of water, using sedatives to help me through, maybe after a certain amount of time trying some sort of overdose that hopefully would easily be successful in a weakened state. certainly the most cozy sounding and romantic suicide.....at least in my head anyway.

but there seems to be conflicting accounts, many say its about the worst way to die possible that it is sheer unending maddening torture. there seems to be a group in the middle that say its uncomfortable but not painful.
then theres others that say its serene, that you change into another state and its actually not a bad way to go at all. ive heard from some anorexics that it actually feels really good. certainly also the method of ceasing food and liquids is used in end of life care and is considered a good way to go. but how it would be for a young or middle aged person i dont know.
there have also been cases of people deliberately starving themselves to death which suggests that if it is painful its not unmanageable pain, its not as painful as being on fire say. another thing is that if youre out in nature and especially in a weakened state, something might want to eat you. even a bird could if youre weak enough.
any thoughts?

 

[CommitSudoku]

I think you saw in another thread, it's painful, hard to accomplish, and unreliable. If you look around some users have even documented their experience with it or with fasting. If I go a weekend without food and try to work my physically intense job then every time I get symptoms of low blood sugar and it feels awful. It's funny how not eating food/water can end up leading to you getting nauseous. I'm on that road currently since I haven't properly ate since Saturday, only had alcohol really, and physical discomfort doesn't even stop the mental discomfort.

With medication and without overbearing responsibilities you cannot let yourself give up on, the symptoms can be managed better than what I've experienced, without those I wouldn't bother with it since it doesn't help just makes you feel worse. At least that's my experience.

I like the idea of hiding away in nature and having time for myself before I go though. That does seem peaceful and nice but I don't think starving would go well since you might end up eating random things you found when your body got desperate. For those of us who are healthy, I think it's not a good choice. Just becomes self harm.

Welcome to these forums btw. Best wishes whatever you decide to do going forward.

 

[OldDrummer]

It's horrific. Watch the film 'Hunger' about the IRA hunger-strikers. Half-way through you'll go blind. The pain is intense and the whole process can take up to 8 weeks if you're hydrating. Basically, your body will try and eat itself, slowly.

SN scares the bejesus out of me, but give me that any day.

 

[its-about-time]

I know you saw my response on the other post about starvation, but I want to address the idea of serenity and how some anorexics say it's pleasant.

In a sick way, I loved not eating. It was torture, but it gave me a super-shot of dopamine every time I successfully avoided yet another meal. It becomes a sort of challenge that I got a kick out of. I am not the only one who has experienced that, it's probably what the people you've talked to are referring to, but I couldn't say for sure. The reason why it becomes so rewarding to succeed in not eating is because with starvation, food becomes the ONLY thing you can think about. There's no helping it. I believe that rush of dopamine comes due to the nature of anorexia. I do not believe it would occur in a person starving under many other circumstance. However, that's just speculation.

I would suggest you do some research on the "Minnesota Starvation Experiment." Read in detail about the mental state of the subjects. I can confirm with my experiences, and from talking to other anorexics in the hospital, that food becomes an obsession, even though we aren't eating it. Without the energy to move around, I spent my days laying on the couch googling recipes, making lists of different types of food, and watching cooking shows. Camping out in nature sounds very pleasant, but it will not prevent you from obsessing over food, which may impact the serenity of the experience. It may also lead to eating leaves and such as you become more desperate. It might sound a bit silly, but it's entirely realistic. Desperation can overpower your will.

When you read up on the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, take note that these people were being fed a prolonged diet of only slightly fewer calories than the body needs to survive (as full-grown men, many were served 1200-1500+ cals/day). The results are still extreme, not just on the physical toll it took on their bodies, but the mental. Now imagine zero calories. In my personal experience (a female who weighed appx 135lbs at the start of this), I ate 1000 cals/day for 2 months, then 500 cals/day for 2 months, then 300 cals/day for 2 months. I ended up in a psych hospital for several months after that to treat anorexia. The physical impact sucked for sure, but the mental is what shocks me to think back on. I was incredibly agitated from sunrise to sunset, I could not sleep, I could not tolerate stress, everything made me want to scream and punch a wall or cry but I didn't have the energy to. That experience makes me think starving out in nature will not be very serene. You might find yourself in a horrific mood and hate your final days or weeks on earth.

I believe in personal choice to ctb and I believe in people choosing the method they prefer. I just want to give you my full insight on this method. 0/10, would not recommend. However, whatever path you wind up following, I wish it all the best.

 

[.............]

I used to have an eating disorder and I will just tell you outright that starving yourself is not worth it. People with EDs who say it "feels good" say that because the hunger fuels their image of being skinny. It's pure anguish.

 

[stupidldiot]

ah ok, ive been thoroughly convinced not to try this then. thanks everyone. it just seemed plausible that it was at least a tolerable death because so many people with anorexia and suchlike end up dying from their condition.

 

[hopelessgirl]

well like the title says really. i've always liked the idea of pitching a tent somewhere remote or in a cave or something with a very comfy sleeping bag and then just wasting away, smoking at times, observing nature, drinking minute amounts of water, using sedatives to help me through, maybe after a certain amount of time trying some sort of overdose that hopefully would easily be successful in a weakened state. certainly the most cozy sounding and romantic suicide.....at least in my head anyway.

but there seems to be conflicting accounts, many say its about the worst way to die possible that it is sheer unending maddening torture. there seems to be a group in the middle that say its uncomfortable but not painful.
then theres others that say its serene, that you change into another state and its actually not a bad way to go at all. ive heard from some anorexics that it actually feels really good. certainly also the method of ceasing food and liquids is used in end of life care and is considered a good way to go. but how it would be for a young or middle aged person i dont know.
there have also been cases of people deliberately starving themselves to death which suggests that if it is painful its not unmanageable pain, its not as painful as being on fire say. another thing is that if youre out in nature and especially in a weakened state, something might want to eat you. even a bird could if youre weak enough.
any thoughts?

Even Munks do it...... There must be a link there. To the state of it.

 

[Nyktalgia]

Dehydration seems like a much better way to die. I heard it can be relatively painless and some terminally ill patients in hospitals where euthanasia is illegal choose to die this way and sometimes doctors even assist them. As for the pleasant feeling I heard that during dehydration when you get close to dying your brain starts pumping feel good chemicals making you feel euphoric. I might even attempt it myself if all other methods fail. Starvation on the other hand is just too unreliable and takes too much time. It seems like an awful way to die.

 

[hopelessgirl]

Dehydration seems like a much better way to die. I heard it can be relatively painless and some terminally ill patients in hospitals where euthanasia is illegal choose to die this way and sometimes doctors even assist them. As for the pleasant feeling I heard that during dehydration when you get close to dying your brain starts pumping feel good chemicals making you feel euphoric. I might even attempt it myself if all other methods fail. Starvation on the other hand is just too unreliable and takes too much time. It seems like an awful way to die.

Well when you stop eating you obviously have to stop drinking as well or it will be too slow.