Thoughts on the pros and cons of different methodologies have been bouncing around in my head all week. I figured I'd get them down in writing, and perhaps get some feedback in case I'm missing anything. Basically, it seems like there are four main angles.
Statistics
Not only the odds of a successful attempt, but also the odds that a botched attempt would allow one to make a second attempt. It's easy enough to get exact values here. Firearms are the clear champion, especially shotguns. Hanging isn't as guaranteed, but if the rope gives out you should still be able to make a second attempt. Car crashes and falling both seem risky: each boast decent odds but could leave you too crippled to be able to properly make a second attempt. ODing is the clear loser here. Unless you've got access to particularly potent stuff, that's easily the lowest odds of success and can make a second attempt difficult.
Physicality
Unless you have some serious masochism, minimizing pain seems super valuable. For the most part, pain goes hand-in-hand with the duration of one's dying. Again, firearms reign supreme. A well-aimed shot can take out the brain stem long before you could possibly register pain. Most other methods it really depends. A car crash or a long fall could kill me in an instant, so long as the hit is enough. Unclear about drowning or burning. Any sort of stabbing / cutting is absolutely off the table - I can't imagine there's a more painful way to go.
Psychological
In addition to the physical pain, there's also the angle of stress. Even for a very mellow individual, those last few moments could represent extreme anxiety. Most methods seem to suck here, but to varying degrees. Falling or drowning would probably induce a lot of panic in one's final moments, assuming they aren't lucky enough to pass out. Placing a gun in one's mouth, stepping off the chair, waiting for the pills to take an effect... all probably still quite terrible. It seems to me like this is where the exit bag really shines through, and is why it's probably my favorite way to go ATM. People undergoing Helium poisoning rapidly devolve to the mental state of a child. With a grin on their face and nothing in their mind, they appear to just gracefully slip away.
The use of alcohol or other drugs are worth mentioning, though. Liquid confidence probably goes a long way in going through with it. But it comes with severe downsides. Being too intoxicated could significantly increase one's survival rate, either by causing the individual to misoperate their chosen method or by loosening up the body in the case of physical trauma-related deaths (e.g., falling). Need to make sure my chosen method is certain enough before involving booze.
What We Leave Behind
Is our body found? If so, by who? If so, in what condition?
Having our bodies found is probably good closure for our loved ones, so going out too deep and drowning might be a problem. Ideally one is found by a professional rather than by a rando, and especially not by a loved one. I figure calling the cops before going through with it would help, but that might lower our odds of success; message on a delay maybe? Getting found by a passerby might not be as bad if they at least can see you from afar and don't have to get a close look at a body.
Being able to have an open casket funeral could be nice for loved ones, but that takes out a lot of methods. Firearms obviously a no-go, unless you want to take a risky and painful torso shot. Falling, car crash, burning all not great either. Drowning, poisoning, and cutting would probably be decent choices. Just need to keep the head around and makeup can take care of any discoloration or whatnot.
Can it be passed off as an accident?
This is the question that keeps playing on repeat in my head. Being able to make it look like an accident has to be a thousand times easier on loved ones than making it clear it was a suicide. But this opposes almost every other measure of method: absolutely no guns, no hanging, no exit bag. I suppose involving a second person could relieve this, but who am I kidding? I don't have connections to get weed - I couldn't find a hitman in a hundred years.
Really seems like a car crash or falling are the best options here. Car accidents are already the #3 leading cause of death. I could just find a cliffside road with weak protections and drive right off. Got to make sure there are no cameras near though, and also probably shouldn't involve alcohol if going this route. Alternatively, there are a lot of great hiking spots around me. Just need to take a late night climb and "slip" right off. Not as common a cause of death, but probably still believable especially considering I can get drunk before doing it.
Obviously, no note can be left behind. It would be nice if a note could be shared with loved ones on the condition that my death is determined to be a suicide, but there's no practical way to enforce that.
Sorry for the rant.
Statistics
Not only the odds of a successful attempt, but also the odds that a botched attempt would allow one to make a second attempt. It's easy enough to get exact values here. Firearms are the clear champion, especially shotguns. Hanging isn't as guaranteed, but if the rope gives out you should still be able to make a second attempt. Car crashes and falling both seem risky: each boast decent odds but could leave you too crippled to be able to properly make a second attempt. ODing is the clear loser here. Unless you've got access to particularly potent stuff, that's easily the lowest odds of success and can make a second attempt difficult.
Physicality
Unless you have some serious masochism, minimizing pain seems super valuable. For the most part, pain goes hand-in-hand with the duration of one's dying. Again, firearms reign supreme. A well-aimed shot can take out the brain stem long before you could possibly register pain. Most other methods it really depends. A car crash or a long fall could kill me in an instant, so long as the hit is enough. Unclear about drowning or burning. Any sort of stabbing / cutting is absolutely off the table - I can't imagine there's a more painful way to go.
Psychological
In addition to the physical pain, there's also the angle of stress. Even for a very mellow individual, those last few moments could represent extreme anxiety. Most methods seem to suck here, but to varying degrees. Falling or drowning would probably induce a lot of panic in one's final moments, assuming they aren't lucky enough to pass out. Placing a gun in one's mouth, stepping off the chair, waiting for the pills to take an effect... all probably still quite terrible. It seems to me like this is where the exit bag really shines through, and is why it's probably my favorite way to go ATM. People undergoing Helium poisoning rapidly devolve to the mental state of a child. With a grin on their face and nothing in their mind, they appear to just gracefully slip away.
The use of alcohol or other drugs are worth mentioning, though. Liquid confidence probably goes a long way in going through with it. But it comes with severe downsides. Being too intoxicated could significantly increase one's survival rate, either by causing the individual to misoperate their chosen method or by loosening up the body in the case of physical trauma-related deaths (e.g., falling). Need to make sure my chosen method is certain enough before involving booze.
What We Leave Behind
Is our body found? If so, by who? If so, in what condition?
Having our bodies found is probably good closure for our loved ones, so going out too deep and drowning might be a problem. Ideally one is found by a professional rather than by a rando, and especially not by a loved one. I figure calling the cops before going through with it would help, but that might lower our odds of success; message on a delay maybe? Getting found by a passerby might not be as bad if they at least can see you from afar and don't have to get a close look at a body.
Being able to have an open casket funeral could be nice for loved ones, but that takes out a lot of methods. Firearms obviously a no-go, unless you want to take a risky and painful torso shot. Falling, car crash, burning all not great either. Drowning, poisoning, and cutting would probably be decent choices. Just need to keep the head around and makeup can take care of any discoloration or whatnot.
Can it be passed off as an accident?
This is the question that keeps playing on repeat in my head. Being able to make it look like an accident has to be a thousand times easier on loved ones than making it clear it was a suicide. But this opposes almost every other measure of method: absolutely no guns, no hanging, no exit bag. I suppose involving a second person could relieve this, but who am I kidding? I don't have connections to get weed - I couldn't find a hitman in a hundred years.
Really seems like a car crash or falling are the best options here. Car accidents are already the #3 leading cause of death. I could just find a cliffside road with weak protections and drive right off. Got to make sure there are no cameras near though, and also probably shouldn't involve alcohol if going this route. Alternatively, there are a lot of great hiking spots around me. Just need to take a late night climb and "slip" right off. Not as common a cause of death, but probably still believable especially considering I can get drunk before doing it.
Obviously, no note can be left behind. It would be nice if a note could be shared with loved ones on the condition that my death is determined to be a suicide, but there's no practical way to enforce that.
Sorry for the rant.
