Thing is there is a very direct link between the time and cognitive effort needed to execute the easiest exit available, and the odds you will survive your crisis.
Even in a months-long crisis, it is very unlikely that every waking hour will be an equal torment. You may even yo-yo between being relieved that you haven't done something yet, and a few hours later actually be in danger of left alone.
Those super severe phases are transient, even if recurring. You want to make the time-to-point-of-no-return to be large.
It is a frequent enough pattern -- survivors regret attempting. Those who have an opportunity to undo their method, often do so -- OD survivors often are saved by an ambulance that they themselves call.
Firearms also still have the chance, however small, that it doesn't work the way you intend it to in that moment. Someone risking/attempting an OD can potentially make a full recovery relatively soon; someone missing a portion of their brain/skull/whatever but surviving the effort? They're fucked. Whether or not it works, there's no "coming back" from that. And given how many gun owners routinely demonstrate they shouldn't be, and that anyone in that kind of headspace may not be the most rational or considerate in the moment...?
It's also just way too low a "barrier to entry" once it's at hand. There are hurdles to getting any kind of prescription or illegal medications, there's a fear of heights and the awareness of the time falling to jumping off any high place, and so on. Guns are entirely too easy to get for entirely too many people, and then you just have it. It's right there. Even if you're responsible and it's locked away somewhere unloaded, if you can unlock it and reload it that's not that difficult or time consuming.
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u/StayingUp4AFeeling 25d ago
Thing is there is a very direct link between the time and cognitive effort needed to execute the easiest exit available, and the odds you will survive your crisis.
Even in a months-long crisis, it is very unlikely that every waking hour will be an equal torment. You may even yo-yo between being relieved that you haven't done something yet, and a few hours later actually be in danger of left alone.
Those super severe phases are transient, even if recurring. You want to make the time-to-point-of-no-return to be large.
It is a frequent enough pattern -- survivors regret attempting. Those who have an opportunity to undo their method, often do so -- OD survivors often are saved by an ambulance that they themselves call.
A firearm doesn't give you a "return" option.