Kinda surprised I haven't seen any threads about VSED (voluntarily stopping eating and drinking) as a suicide method. That was my method of choice until I decided I want to move my death date forward, at which point I turned to the charcoal-burning method. But if I flake on that, I think I'll go back to my original plan: do VSED over the week of Thanksgiving. Personally, I think VSED is the best way to go: it's apparently painless and not horribly uncomfortable once the initial feelings of hunger/thirst subside (some even experience a sense of euphoria after a few days), you don't need to buy or prepare anything, it's certain to work (the time it takes varies, but obviously no human can survive without food and water indefinitely), it's not messy, and you can abort mission at any point before consciousness is lost with no lasting side effects (so no risk of permanent injuries or last-second regret, which are possibilities with almost every other method). Some basic information and first-hand accounts of VSED can be found in this article. I'll lay out my plan here in case anyone wants to use this method. Any feedback is also appreciated.
The obvious disadvantage of this method is how long it takes, which can be anywhere from 5-14 days. Very few people last beyond the 14-day mark. However, keep in mind that these numbers are generally based on reports of terminally-ill, bed-ridden patients who chose to do VSED instead of waiting for their illness to kill them. I believe that death can be hastened if you do this at home and use certain methods to dehydrate yourself (I'll go over some of those methods later). By intentionally dehydrating yourself, I think you could shorten the window to 3-7 days. That being said, you still need 3-7 days without someone intervening, so if you're living with parents, roommates, or a significant other who would presumably prefer that you not die, this method might not be the best for you.
I do have roommates and am also in college, which is why I planned to do it over Thanksgiving week. I don't usually go home for Thanksgiving, and everyone else usually does, so there wouldn't be any professors, classmates, or roommates around to notice my absence. I would probably start the process on Sunday or Monday so that I could continue attending classes through Tuesday, as the first few days of VSED don't usually cause any severe impairment, just feelings of hunger and thirst. On Tuesday evening, I would start intentionally dehydrating myself further, and I would keep up these dehydration methods for as long as physically possible (i.e. when I became too weak or lost consciousness). I would hopefully be dead or very close to death by Friday or Saturday. Even if I lasted a few days beyond that, I would be able to keep in contact with people via text until I lost consciousness, and death usually comes within 48 to 72 hours after loss of consciousness. So I estimate that even if I didn't slip into a coma until Sunday, I would have until the following Monday or Tuesday evening before anyone really got concerned and called the police.
VSED can cause confusion and delirium in later stages, so I would also probably write notes to myself to explain what's going on, and I would pre-write texts to my friends and parents in case I wasn't lucid enough to do it after a few days of VSED.
I would use a combination of dehydration methods for as long as possible to hasten death. A few ideas:
-Drink alcohol. This would have to be done without chaser or mixer, which isn't great, but alcohol is a diuretic that can speed up dehydration. If I drank enough to make myself vomit, that would also dehydrate me quickly. Plus, hey, why not spend my last few days partying it up?
-Exercise. Obviously, this could only be done within the first few days because after that, I would probably be too weak, but working up a sweat would speed up dehydration.
-Sweat it out. I'd crank the heat, maybe buy an additional space heater, put on a sweater or two, and huddle up under some blankets. Deodorant highly recommended.
-Take caffeine pills. Caffeine is a diuretic as well.
-Take laxatives and/or make yourself throw up. These are some easy ways to make yourself very dehydrated very quickly.
-Some prescription medications also make you dehydrated. In particular, stimulants like Wellbutrin and Adderall usually cause dehydration.
Dehydration is not necessarily the most pleasant sensation, so I think it's a good idea to have some stuff on hand to manage that unpleasantness. A few things I plan to use:
-Chapstick and lotion to deal with dry lips and skin
-Muscle relaxants (I'm prescribed Flexeril for back pain) or OTC sleep aids to induce unconsciousness if symptoms are really unpleasant
-OTC pain relievers to help with dehydration-induced muscle cramps and headaches (I'm also going to use the Naproxen I was given for back pain)
-Recreational drugs to pass the time (I'm planning on stocking up on LSD and edibles)
(NOTE: I'm listing a lot of drugs here. If you plan to use them, DO NOT mix drugs that aren't supposed to be mixed (ex. alcohol and muscle relaxants, caffeine and Adderall, etc.) or you'll probably make yourself miserable.)
So basically, my plan would just be to use those dehydration techniques for as long as possible, use the symptom management stuff when necessary, and then just lay in bed, sleep, watch movies, play games, and read until I lose consciousness. Doesn't sound like a bad way to go.
I suggest doing more independent research into this method if you want to do it, but be careful of what sources you use. There's a lot of anti-assisted-suicide organizations out there that post false information about VSED and make it seem significantly more unpleasant than it really is.
The obvious disadvantage of this method is how long it takes, which can be anywhere from 5-14 days. Very few people last beyond the 14-day mark. However, keep in mind that these numbers are generally based on reports of terminally-ill, bed-ridden patients who chose to do VSED instead of waiting for their illness to kill them. I believe that death can be hastened if you do this at home and use certain methods to dehydrate yourself (I'll go over some of those methods later). By intentionally dehydrating yourself, I think you could shorten the window to 3-7 days. That being said, you still need 3-7 days without someone intervening, so if you're living with parents, roommates, or a significant other who would presumably prefer that you not die, this method might not be the best for you.
I do have roommates and am also in college, which is why I planned to do it over Thanksgiving week. I don't usually go home for Thanksgiving, and everyone else usually does, so there wouldn't be any professors, classmates, or roommates around to notice my absence. I would probably start the process on Sunday or Monday so that I could continue attending classes through Tuesday, as the first few days of VSED don't usually cause any severe impairment, just feelings of hunger and thirst. On Tuesday evening, I would start intentionally dehydrating myself further, and I would keep up these dehydration methods for as long as physically possible (i.e. when I became too weak or lost consciousness). I would hopefully be dead or very close to death by Friday or Saturday. Even if I lasted a few days beyond that, I would be able to keep in contact with people via text until I lost consciousness, and death usually comes within 48 to 72 hours after loss of consciousness. So I estimate that even if I didn't slip into a coma until Sunday, I would have until the following Monday or Tuesday evening before anyone really got concerned and called the police.
VSED can cause confusion and delirium in later stages, so I would also probably write notes to myself to explain what's going on, and I would pre-write texts to my friends and parents in case I wasn't lucid enough to do it after a few days of VSED.
I would use a combination of dehydration methods for as long as possible to hasten death. A few ideas:
-Drink alcohol. This would have to be done without chaser or mixer, which isn't great, but alcohol is a diuretic that can speed up dehydration. If I drank enough to make myself vomit, that would also dehydrate me quickly. Plus, hey, why not spend my last few days partying it up?
-Exercise. Obviously, this could only be done within the first few days because after that, I would probably be too weak, but working up a sweat would speed up dehydration.
-Sweat it out. I'd crank the heat, maybe buy an additional space heater, put on a sweater or two, and huddle up under some blankets. Deodorant highly recommended.
-Take caffeine pills. Caffeine is a diuretic as well.
-Take laxatives and/or make yourself throw up. These are some easy ways to make yourself very dehydrated very quickly.
-Some prescription medications also make you dehydrated. In particular, stimulants like Wellbutrin and Adderall usually cause dehydration.
Dehydration is not necessarily the most pleasant sensation, so I think it's a good idea to have some stuff on hand to manage that unpleasantness. A few things I plan to use:
-Chapstick and lotion to deal with dry lips and skin
-Muscle relaxants (I'm prescribed Flexeril for back pain) or OTC sleep aids to induce unconsciousness if symptoms are really unpleasant
-OTC pain relievers to help with dehydration-induced muscle cramps and headaches (I'm also going to use the Naproxen I was given for back pain)
-Recreational drugs to pass the time (I'm planning on stocking up on LSD and edibles)
(NOTE: I'm listing a lot of drugs here. If you plan to use them, DO NOT mix drugs that aren't supposed to be mixed (ex. alcohol and muscle relaxants, caffeine and Adderall, etc.) or you'll probably make yourself miserable.)
So basically, my plan would just be to use those dehydration techniques for as long as possible, use the symptom management stuff when necessary, and then just lay in bed, sleep, watch movies, play games, and read until I lose consciousness. Doesn't sound like a bad way to go.
I suggest doing more independent research into this method if you want to do it, but be careful of what sources you use. There's a lot of anti-assisted-suicide organizations out there that post false information about VSED and make it seem significantly more unpleasant than it really is.
