Theorem on inebriation and a sharp decline
(NOTE- I am not encouraging getting drunk, this is merely a concept that is backed up by some sciences, with some conclusions drawn, granted there may be a few prematurely drawn conclusions. If so, let us know. ~Zace)
The fact that being inebriated(1) slows down basic functions, from emotional response, to logic and reasoning, even to physical symptoms is a well known fact across the globe. It reduces the amount of information one is able to process, disrupt balance, and create generally bad side effects for most people involved. However, there is a concept on where being drunk may actually help the person who is drunk out of life or death, without any sobering up.
Unfortunately, there is only one concept that is still able to have use, and that’s falling from a great height while drunk. It also could help slow down nerve signals in theory, creating a sort of anesthesia like side effect for the person drinking, granted only after consuming large amounts of alcohol, to the point of it posing a physical threat to them.
The reason I believe that inebriation could help one greatly, despite all the harm it may do to people, during this instance is due to the physics of a person while falling from a height capable of killing.
Once one is falling, they begin to accelerate, maxing out at some point, at maximum velocity. All things, unless they have some form of air resistance or way to catch air, such as a feather or a piece of paper, will fall at the same speed, so if you drop a penny and a person from the empire state building at the same time, they will hit the ground at the same time.
The thing that kills in a fall isn’t the fall, it’s the sudden stop. You go from 200 km/h (or 120 mp/h) to zero in a fraction of a second, assuming you are in a free falling position. The human body simply wasn’t made to withstand that. Hitting the ground results in enough g’s to kill you. (For reference, the max G’s a human can experience without damage is 9.)
The heart would be unable to properly pump blood, therefore failing to supply any oxygen to your body, but it wouldn’t even have the 45 seconds to pump blood all around your body and back to your heart, as you’d already be dead due to the trauma. Your bones would break, your spine would likely sever, and several vital organs such as the brain and heart itself would fail to function, resulting in immediate death.
This is where inebriation comes into play. An inebriated person would still fall the same speed as a sober person, but their brain functions, assuming they don’t sober up whilst falling, would still be slow. During a fall, a person often tenses up involuntarily, which doesn’t allow their weight to distribute, which is part of why death by falling occurs, as the weight cannot distribute itself enough during a fall from a great height. This is also why people jump onto things like cushions, as once their weight is distributed over a large surface rather than concrete and its lack of give, and often avoid getting hurt. The more give the surface below one has, the less their body will take from the fall.
A drunk person, to the point of haze and unawareness, (not unconscious, just very intoxicated) has the chance of not involuntarily tensing up, as their brain won’t be able to process the fact they are falling quick enough. Even a 4.5 second fall could do damage. A sober person falling that long would be able to process the fact they are rapidly descending, and they’d involuntarily tense up. An intoxicated person, as aforementioned, would likely be unable to process the fact they are falling quick enough, meaning they wouldn’t tense up before they hit the ground. This means their body would likely have much more give than the sober person has, allowing their weight to remain somewhat stable, and their brain and body would have a reduced chance of entirely breaking due to the sudden stop. It would still hurt, but there is a fine line between harm and death.
(1. Inebriated- Drunk) (2. Maximum Velocity, the max speed one reaches while falling)
~Zace/T1/na