6 ms·

Alcoholism in Antarctica

180 points by ph0rcyas 13y ago

jdmitch 13y ago
Great punchline: >even one friend that isn’t a bottle is a better than none.
DanBC 13y ago
This is a fascinating look at the stations. I'm tempted to add alcohol to my local install of Mars Simulation Project. (http://mars-sim.sourceforge.net/ http://mars-sim.sourceforge.net/)
marvin 13y ago
The interesting part of this story, for me, was how Antarctica is for some the ultimate, final destination for people escaping from themselves. If anything, this only highlights the need to improve awareness and treatment of mental illness in the United States. It is obvious to anyone who has first-hand experience with these issues that you can never outrun your own problems. Some people flee for a while before realizing this, someone just keeps taking the delusion to its logical end. What is really needed is an acceptance that it's okay to have issues and that in most cases, they can actually be treated.
- interknot 13y ago
  Along these lines is the (wonderful) Werner Herzog documentary, Encounters at the End of the World. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_at_the_End_of_the_World http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_at_the_End_of_the_Wo...
  - sp332 13y ago
    I loved that. It's a striking representation of nature and people.
  - znowi 13y ago
    There's also another great documentary from Werner Herzog called Happy People: A Year in the Taiga. Very genuine and profound. Werner is a master of being in the moment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_People:_A_Year_in_the_Taiga http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_People:_A_Year_in_the_Tai...
- tommi 13y ago
  Actually you shouldn't totally dismiss fleeing. It modifies the environment and that is a major component in a mental change.
  - seszett 13y ago
    The problem with Antarctica is that you cannot stay there forever. It's not an effective way to flee.
  - base698 13y ago
    That doesn't mean there isn't an active role you have to play in making yourself better. Moving may get you over a hurdle of feeling hopeless, but if you aren't active in pursuing self improvement you'll quickly find yourself in the same spot.
    - tommi 13y ago
      Of course it doesn't, that is why it's just a component of the change. And it's not only about getting over of feeling hopeless. Change in environment helps you to break routines and create new ones. Hopefully ones which guide towards a better path.
GoodIntentions 13y ago
This post reminded me of an antarctica blog I stumbled on years ago: http://www.bigdeadplace.com/welcome-to-the-program/ http://www.bigdeadplace.com/welcome-to-the-program/ The Q & A bit here ("what are things you wish you brought?") seems to list a fair amount of booze/booze related items. http://www.bigdeadplace.com/ask-an-antarctican-2/ http://www.bigdeadplace.com/ask-an-antarctican-2/
- dbarlett 13y ago
  It's worth noting that Nicholas Johnson, author of the book Big Dead Place [1] and editor of bigdeadplace.com, committed suicide [2] in 2012. He had just been rejected [3] from another contract in Antarctica. [1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0922915997/ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0922915997/ [2] http://www.albedoimages.com/blog/2012/12/06/death-of-antarctic-writer-nicholas-johnson/ http://www.albedoimages.com/blog/2012/12/06/death-of-antarct... [3] http://feralhouse.com/nick-johnson-rip/ http://feralhouse.com/nick-johnson-rip/
  - DanBC 13y ago
    That is very sad. > You may believe that you are only going to Antarctica for one season. Though that may be true, it is not. Antarctica will pierce you in the heart, and even if you don’t come back, you will think about it off and on, probably for the rest of your life.
rdl 13y ago
Doing satellite tech/eng stuff overwinter in Antarctica is one of my dream jobs (along with obviously doing the same thing for Mars, which would be even better). 9 months isn't that long, and I can't imagine wanting to spend all the time drunk, rather than learning about all the interesting science going on. Plus, obviously, Internet.
- pc86 13y ago
  In fairness though, and this is mentioned briefly in the article, you'd be there to do science. Many of the people passing out in a bar alone by 8pm are doing physical labor and not interested in or qualified for the science.
  - rdl 13y ago
    I'd be support staff (running the satellite network, or maybe other IT stuff). That falls in the "support" vs. "beaker" camp. I just happen to also like science more than most forklift operators or electricians do, I think.
    - seszett 13y ago
      I've been on Kerguelen island (which isn't quite Antarctica, but not that far either, and rather isolated too with four or five ship passages per year). You wouldn't "fall in the support vs. beaker camp", you would be firmly in the beaker camp. It's more of a "somewhat intellectual" vs. "manual" camp (also vs. "military" in our case, but it might not be the same for US stations). I was right between beakers and support myself, by the way. In our case, alcoholism was a problem for some of the manual labourers, but it never went as far as what I read from this article (I didn't read everything though), probably in part because they had more restrictions on alcohol consumption than the others, and because they were only there for shorter (three-six months depending on available transportation) missions, while most everyone else have 12-14 months missions.
  - raverbashing 13y ago
    Yes, but - You can't go see a movie at the cinema - There's no new bars in town - You can't go for a walk, ride a bike, go to the gym, go shopping, etc - There's nobody besides that (small) group of researchers. People you'll have to see/tolerate every single day. - Food is pretty much the same always Really? That's not for me
ableal 13y ago
The casual reference to "hypothyroidism in Antarctica" got me curious. Apparently there's a link with working in low temperatures, and research on it, e.g. http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/86/1/110.full http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/86/1/110.full P.S. also bumped into yesterday's jwz post http://www.jwz.org/blog/2013/06/how-to-drink-in-antarctica/ http://www.jwz.org/blog/2013/06/how-to-drink-in-antarctica/
worksaf 13y ago
I wonder what kind of effect legal marijuana would have on the same crowd if it were available as a nice alternative to Alcohol
kybernetyk 13y ago
I'd love to spend a winter at McMurdo ... but I have no idea how to get there without being a scientist :(
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- samstave 13y ago
  Try being an alcoholic?
- aplusbi 13y ago
  http://www.usap.gov/jobsAndOpportunities/ http://www.usap.gov/jobsAndOpportunities/ And in particular: http://www.gscgov.com/jobsmcmurdo.htm http://www.gscgov.com/jobsmcmurdo.htm
hardtke 13y ago
Time has a different meaning at the South Pole if you are working with offsite people, as is typical of the science winter overs. "Day" is when the internet connection is working. "Night" is when it is not. There is only satellite coverage for half the day.
vermontdevil 13y ago
My father spent 13 months there while in the Navy in 1963. He just gotten married and two weeks later went off. In return the Navy let him pick any assignment for three year stint which was Bermuda. Talk about a long thawing seeing that I wasn't born till some years later. He told me stories about the drinking and the bleakness etc. It's even worse at the Amundsen–Scott Station where he was frequently sent over the 13 month period. I do wonder if he developed his alcoholism while being down there because of the environment or it was a trigger. He no doubt had long hidden problems and alcohol was his way of self-medicating. He's gone now so I will never know but this article brought back a lot of memories of our conversations about his experiences down there.
southpolesteve 13y ago
I've spent time in Antarctica, specifically at the South Pole and not during the winter. Even in the summer months, there is a lot of drinking. Antarctica was a great experience and I would do it all over again, but honestly the novelty wears off after only a couple weeks. McMurdo might be a bit better since it is on the coast and has a much larger community. The South Pole is just cold, white, dry and flat in every direction. Feels a bit like mild sensory deprivation after a while. There is not much to do besides work, drink, and sleep.
- Zaephyr 13y ago
  Good to hear that you found it a great experience even if the novelty doesn't last really long. I've always thought it would be. I've applied for ASC tech jobs but have never gotten an interview. I keep trying even if part of me thinks I have to crazy to want to go.

180 points by ph0rcyas 13y ago

Great punchline: >even one friend that isn’t a bottle is a better than none.

DanBC 13y ago

This is a fascinating look at the stations. I'm tempted to add alcohol to my local install of Mars Simulation Project. (http://mars-sim.sourceforge.net/ http://mars-sim.sourceforge.net/)

marvin 13y ago

The interesting part of this story, for me, was how Antarctica is for some the ultimate, final destination for people escaping from themselves. If anything, this only highlights the need to improve awareness and treatment of mental illness in the United States. It is obvious to anyone who has first-hand experience with these issues that you can never outrun your own problems. Some people flee for a while before realizing this, someone just keeps taking the delusion to its logical end. What is really needed is an acceptance that it's okay to have issues and that in most cases, they can actually be treated.

interknot 13y ago
Along these lines is the (wonderful) Werner Herzog documentary, Encounters at the End of the World. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_at_the_End_of_the_World http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_at_the_End_of_the_Wo...
- sp332 13y ago
  I loved that. It's a striking representation of nature and people.
- znowi 13y ago
  There's also another great documentary from Werner Herzog called Happy People: A Year in the Taiga. Very genuine and profound. Werner is a master of being in the moment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_People:_A_Year_in_the_Taiga http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_People:_A_Year_in_the_Tai...
tommi 13y ago
Actually you shouldn't totally dismiss fleeing. It modifies the environment and that is a major component in a mental change.
- seszett 13y ago
  The problem with Antarctica is that you cannot stay there forever. It's not an effective way to flee.
- base698 13y ago
  That doesn't mean there isn't an active role you have to play in making yourself better. Moving may get you over a hurdle of feeling hopeless, but if you aren't active in pursuing self improvement you'll quickly find yourself in the same spot.
  - tommi 13y ago
    Of course it doesn't, that is why it's just a component of the change. And it's not only about getting over of feeling hopeless. Change in environment helps you to break routines and create new ones. Hopefully ones which guide towards a better path.

GoodIntentions 13y ago

This post reminded me of an antarctica blog I stumbled on years ago: http://www.bigdeadplace.com/welcome-to-the-program/ http://www.bigdeadplace.com/welcome-to-the-program/ The Q & A bit here ("what are things you wish you brought?") seems to list a fair amount of booze/booze related items. http://www.bigdeadplace.com/ask-an-antarctican-2/ http://www.bigdeadplace.com/ask-an-antarctican-2/

dbarlett 13y ago
It's worth noting that Nicholas Johnson, author of the book Big Dead Place [1] and editor of bigdeadplace.com, committed suicide [2] in 2012. He had just been rejected [3] from another contract in Antarctica. [1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0922915997/ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0922915997/ [2] http://www.albedoimages.com/blog/2012/12/06/death-of-antarctic-writer-nicholas-johnson/ http://www.albedoimages.com/blog/2012/12/06/death-of-antarct... [3] http://feralhouse.com/nick-johnson-rip/ http://feralhouse.com/nick-johnson-rip/
- DanBC 13y ago
  That is very sad. > You may believe that you are only going to Antarctica for one season. Though that may be true, it is not. Antarctica will pierce you in the heart, and even if you don’t come back, you will think about it off and on, probably for the rest of your life.

rdl 13y ago

Doing satellite tech/eng stuff overwinter in Antarctica is one of my dream jobs (along with obviously doing the same thing for Mars, which would be even better). 9 months isn't that long, and I can't imagine wanting to spend all the time drunk, rather than learning about all the interesting science going on. Plus, obviously, Internet.

pc86 13y ago
In fairness though, and this is mentioned briefly in the article, you'd be there to do science. Many of the people passing out in a bar alone by 8pm are doing physical labor and not interested in or qualified for the science.
- rdl 13y ago
  I'd be support staff (running the satellite network, or maybe other IT stuff). That falls in the "support" vs. "beaker" camp. I just happen to also like science more than most forklift operators or electricians do, I think.
  - seszett 13y ago
    I've been on Kerguelen island (which isn't quite Antarctica, but not that far either, and rather isolated too with four or five ship passages per year). You wouldn't "fall in the support vs. beaker camp", you would be firmly in the beaker camp. It's more of a "somewhat intellectual" vs. "manual" camp (also vs. "military" in our case, but it might not be the same for US stations). I was right between beakers and support myself, by the way. In our case, alcoholism was a problem for some of the manual labourers, but it never went as far as what I read from this article (I didn't read everything though), probably in part because they had more restrictions on alcohol consumption than the others, and because they were only there for shorter (three-six months depending on available transportation) missions, while most everyone else have 12-14 months missions.
- raverbashing 13y ago
  Yes, but - You can't go see a movie at the cinema - There's no new bars in town - You can't go for a walk, ride a bike, go to the gym, go shopping, etc - There's nobody besides that (small) group of researchers. People you'll have to see/tolerate every single day. - Food is pretty much the same always Really? That's not for me

ableal 13y ago

The casual reference to "hypothyroidism in Antarctica" got me curious. Apparently there's a link with working in low temperatures, and research on it, e.g. http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/86/1/110.full http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/86/1/110.full P.S. also bumped into yesterday's jwz post http://www.jwz.org/blog/2013/06/how-to-drink-in-antarctica/ http://www.jwz.org/blog/2013/06/how-to-drink-in-antarctica/

worksaf 13y ago

I wonder what kind of effect legal marijuana would have on the same crowd if it were available as a nice alternative to Alcohol

kybernetyk 13y ago

I'd love to spend a winter at McMurdo ... but I have no idea how to get there without being a scientist :(

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
samstave 13y ago
Try being an alcoholic?
aplusbi 13y ago
http://www.usap.gov/jobsAndOpportunities/ http://www.usap.gov/jobsAndOpportunities/ And in particular: http://www.gscgov.com/jobsmcmurdo.htm http://www.gscgov.com/jobsmcmurdo.htm

hardtke 13y ago

Time has a different meaning at the South Pole if you are working with offsite people, as is typical of the science winter overs. "Day" is when the internet connection is working. "Night" is when it is not. There is only satellite coverage for half the day.

vermontdevil 13y ago

My father spent 13 months there while in the Navy in 1963. He just gotten married and two weeks later went off. In return the Navy let him pick any assignment for three year stint which was Bermuda. Talk about a long thawing seeing that I wasn't born till some years later. He told me stories about the drinking and the bleakness etc. It's even worse at the Amundsen–Scott Station where he was frequently sent over the 13 month period. I do wonder if he developed his alcoholism while being down there because of the environment or it was a trigger. He no doubt had long hidden problems and alcohol was his way of self-medicating. He's gone now so I will never know but this article brought back a lot of memories of our conversations about his experiences down there.

southpolesteve 13y ago

I've spent time in Antarctica, specifically at the South Pole and not during the winter. Even in the summer months, there is a lot of drinking. Antarctica was a great experience and I would do it all over again, but honestly the novelty wears off after only a couple weeks. McMurdo might be a bit better since it is on the coast and has a much larger community. The South Pole is just cold, white, dry and flat in every direction. Feels a bit like mild sensory deprivation after a while. There is not much to do besides work, drink, and sleep.

Zaephyr 13y ago
Good to hear that you found it a great experience even if the novelty doesn't last really long. I've always thought it would be. I've applied for ASC tech jobs but have never gotten an interview. I keep trying even if part of me thinks I have to crazy to want to go.