I take him at his word that he's a legal adult, not a boy.
You said no pills. Did you mean OTC, or all pills ever? Because I read it as all pills ever, hence my loss for words.
If you meant OTC, it's possible with a couple different ones but exceedingly rare to succeed and far more likely to end up with severe effects and potential long-term damage.
Well, I basically meant OTC medicines (as OP supposedly "attempted" with ibuprofen and melatonin - on separate occasions), and my instructions in this particular case had to be straightforward and easily understandable.
But even if we take into account "all" pills, which single kind would work by itself?
Oxycodone, as an opioid? Tramadol? Those opiates would be the closest to a possible OD. But would still be overwhelmingly improbable.
Even opioids would have to be mixed with something else.
Quite recently several newcomers have posted about their failed "attempts" with trying to OD on pills, or asked for advice about the same 'method'.
Their ignorance seems so advanced that it shocks me how they don't even try to research the topic a little prior to attempting to take own life.
I was trying to address that with my sentence which you quoted. They all should know that OD-ing on pills would not do the job and is in "practice" almost impossible. Technically, perhaps my point is not 100% accurate, but is 98% applicable, and going into those 2% of a statistical error would just confuse those newcomers more.
All of us who are more experienced here never even consider OD'ing on pills, because we know it simply doesn't work.
If you know of a brand of medicines/pills which would have the best odds for success (taken by itself), please share.