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The alcohol comparison is not valid. Alcohol is a sedative, nitrogen (or inert gas) under pressure is a narcotic. Different drugs, different mechanisms of action. I'll try to find what Peter Bennett says about adaptation, as he spoke at the DAN Diving Medicine course I attended. He doesn't mention it in Bove & Davis' Diving Medicine text, 2nd edition. By the way folks, this course is open to diving instructors, and is offered yearly at someplace warm (call DAN). John Lippmann says in The Essentials of Deeper Sport Diving, "Factors that reduce the effects of narcosis include: Strong motivation to perform a task; Concentration on the task at hand; A positive attitude to the dive and confidence in the ability to conduct the dive safely; Acclimatization - prolonged and frequent exposure gives some degree of adaptation. If a deeper dive is planned, it is a good idea to build up to the dive by performing progressively deeper dives during the days prior to the deep dive. These 'work-up' dives help a diver get used to the effects of narcosis. However, the risk of bends must be carefully monitored and decompression requirements must be calculated very conservatively." Bruce Bassett has personally told me that repeated exposure to nitrogen under pressure can give some adaptation to narcosis. So the deep air divers have a feeble argument (very feeble), but there is no question in my mind that you trimix and heliox divers are doing the right thing. Happy Holidays, Mike Black _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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