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“Run Away As Fast As You Can”: 50 Fake Survival Tips That No One Should Follow
You’ve likely seen or read about “survival tips” when dealing with the threat of an assailant. People would suggest scratching their eyes, kicking their groin, or inflicting some form of damage as much as possible.
Reality, however, paints a grimmer picture. There’s a chance you freeze and get yourself hurt, or worse. This is why most self-defense experts would advise making running away the instinctive reaction during a potential attack.
Today, we’re looking at other well-known “survival tips” that may actually do more harm than good. If any of these have been ingrained in you, now’s the time to start unlearning them.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Not survival in the usual sense, but those whole “Don’t put that you’re an organ donor on your license because then if you get in a wreck and die, the paramedics won’t try to bring you back!”
I’ve been a paramedic for 10 years, and never once have I looked for someone’s license after a traumatic cardiac arrest to check their organ donor status. If a cardiac arrest victim seems viable, they’re going to get worked on regardless. The reality though is that very few people come back from cardiac arrest that occurred due to trauma, because the most common cause is blood loss and that’s not something paramedics can fix in the field (in most areas- some very progressive systems DO carry whole blood on the ambulance.) And if someone is dead on arrival and unworkable, we don’t haul them to the hospital to get their organs harvested. The body stays on scene until coroners get there and do their thing, which could take hours. Organs of people who die outside of hospitals generally have a very limited window in which they’re still considered viable, so it rarely even enters the equation unless they’re transported to the hospital.
Rant over, be an organ donor.
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#2
“Find food first” is a common one. But nope. You need water and shelter way before snacks.
#3
Not survival tips for the wilderness, but survival in urban surroundings - basically any tips on how to handle a street fight - any of the vigilante rubbish you see on TV.
I have a close friend who was a UK Royal Marine - he was, in effect, a violence professional for a decade or so. He told me that the vast majority of his training regards hand to hand combat involved the following:
- Assume your opponent is armed even if you can’t see a weapon
- Run away as fast as you can
- If they are close enough to touch you, push them as hard as you can - hopefully they’ll fall over - then run as fast as you can in the opposite direction.
That was it - just get away from them as fast as you can. Don’t try and engage in a fight with someone you don’t know because you’ll probably get k****d.
#4
The idea of changing your cellphone voicemail message if you are lost in the woods.
If you have enough signal to change your voicemail then you have enough signal to call for help.
Robert T 4 months ago
Phone the emergency services. Give your location first. Then if you get cut off, they will know where you are. The only point of changing your voicemail greeting is that if you phoned someone and they didn't answer, they would get your message when they eventually call you back, likely after your phone battery has died. Not a brilliant strategy really.
#5
Its not exactly a survival tip, but everybody imagines building traps, hunting, building a shelter etc. But the reality for most survival situations is to just focus on water and sitting around until you get found. Nearly every thing you do will burn the small amount of energy/water you have and you likely will not have the skills or be in an abundant enough area to replace it. So its best for most people to just sit in the shade and wait.
Kabuki Kitsune 4 months ago
There is a caveat to this. You should only remain sitting in one location, when it is safe to do so. If, for example, if you are in a low area like a gully or dry river or stream bed, you should move out of that location. Flash floods can happen a great distance away from where rain happens, and if you remain in these low locations, you are risking your life. Move to the nearest high point, and wait there. Alternatively, if you are in a location with no shade, move toward shade after leaving a marker (wood arranged in an arrow of the direction you're going) so aerial searchers, or foot searchers can find you.
#6
A lot of people think that moss only grows on the north side of trees. It'll actually grow wherever it wants to.
#7
Basically anything Bear Grylls said or did on his show.
Phantom Phoenix 4 months ago
There is a time when you might want to follow his advice. If you ever find yourself in the wilderness and you're alone on the being recorded side of a fully equipped camera crew and there's a hotel you're all going back to when filming wraps up, you'll probably be fine.
#8
Not your typical survival advice but an important falsehood: You have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing.
Absolutely untrue, and the longer the wait the worse the outcome for the person missing. If you believe someone is missing report it immediately with all information you have.
Eat snow for water. Waste of energy. There isn't a lot of water in snow by volume (unless packed) but moreover your body will expend energy in the form of heat to melt the snow. Build a fire, find something you can use as a basin, melt the snow then drink.
#9
If you are extremely cold or near hypothermic, do not drink alcohol to warm up. It may make you feel warmer because it pulls your blood to your skin, but that means it's pulling blood away from your vital organs and, therefore, lowering your core temperature.
#10
Do not ever drink your own pee to survive. It'll make you more dehydrated while also likely f*****g up your kidneys. No benefit to be had. Just don't do it.
#11
This is less a bad tip and more of a glaring omission, but I haven't seen a lot of wilderness survival guides say the obvious first step:
Call 911.
"But it's *wilderness* survival! The phone won't work!" People have internalized that idea, especially millennials and older. Coverage is *surprisingly* common in the backwoods these days.
That's doubly true when you're calling 911. Phones get some extra mojo when they're making emergency calls, they can use other networks they usually can't. Even if it looks like you don't have reception, a 911 call might go through.
Point being, when you have that "oh s**t, I'm *lost* lost." moment, give the cell phone a shot before you start dragging branches together for a lean-to. It's not a guarantee but it might save you a whole lot of pain.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
Anyone who regularly hikes should invest in a satellite link GPS communicator. They can be had for less than $100. It can save your life.
#12
That if you see a bird or animal eating a berry it mean’s it’s safe for you to eat, this can get you k****d.
#13
The big one: just because the water is flowing doesn’t mean it’s safe to drink.
Most of the s**t you see in bushcraft videos is a waste of energy and much of it could get you k****d.
STAY WHERE YOU ARE. Exert yourself as little as possible and only do so to find shelter from the elements or to get water.
Your chances of being rescued increase significantly if you STAY PUT.
The real myth though is that survival is easy and anyone can do it.
- You’re better off just making sure you don’t end up in a situation where you need to survive. PLAN. *let people know where you’re going and for how long. *AND FOR THE LOVE OF WHATEVER YOU BELIEVE IN* **STICK TO THE PLAN.**.
Kabuki Kitsune 4 months ago
As said with a previous iteration of this same thing on the list: Stay put only if it is SAFE to do so. Don't stay in stream beds, or dry rivers, don't stay in gullies. Move up, to the nearest high point of land. If in an arid location, or one without shade, move toward the shade, but use wood or other methods to place an arrow marking which way you went. Once you are out of danger, then stay put.
#14
Don't pee on jellyfish stings. It'll still sting but now you smell like p**s as well.
#15
When hiking and it’s hot out, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, attempt to ration your water. Drink whenever your lips or your eyes get dry or you’re generally thirsty. “Rationing” like you’d see in old movies or something hastens heat exhaustion. .
#16
"If you're alone, that is better than being with another person, since it's another mouth to feed."
The buddy system is always more rewarding than the costs, especially since they could go for help or do other things. Twice the output, twice the chance of survival, since you're not likely to get any food while you're out there if you're a 21st century layman like me who doesn't have a gun with them on every outing.
#17
Having s*x to fend off freezing to death is a terrible idea. It will make you wet (sweat/s**y fluids), and use up energy you need to conserve.
It’s not survival advice; it’s a plot device. .
#18
"If it's black fight back, if it's brown lie down" with bears. How you act depends on how the bear is acting, not what species it is.
Doctor Strange 4 months ago
Also, and I can not stress this enough, bear spray does NOT work the same way as bug spray.
#19
First day in prison, punching the biggest and toughest looking prisoner in the face will not make your stay easier.
#20
Putting a wooden spoon or your fingers in the mouth of someone having a seizure. Either you’re going to have a person seizing AND choking or a person seizing and choking on your fingers while you’re in agony. Just call 911 and turn them into their side.
Beak Hookage 4 months ago
And no they can't swallow their own tongue during the seizure. That's physically impossible.
#21
For snakes, “red touches black, you’re okay jack; red touches yellow, you’re a dead fellow”. While this is true for some specific species in North America, it’s not true for many venomous snakes with similar coloring! So just… don’t grab strange snakes, please.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
Just leave snakes alone period. Most can't harm you, and those that can don't want to harm you - you aren't prey. Call pest control to relocate them if you're not sure what they are or are uncomfortable with them around.
#22
A lot of people think that when you go camping where bears are you should hang your food supplies up in a tree to keep bears from being able to get them.
This is wrong, because your body is bear food and it's in your tent on the ground. What you really need to do is put your food in your car, put your body in your car, and drive home to sleep where bears are not.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
People want to camp. People aren't bear food. Have bear repellant, secure your food and leave bears alone.
#23
Do not burn yourself to stop the bleeding if wounded, as a medical professional once said: “you’ll just be bleeding AND burned”.
Becca not Becky 4 months ago
Use pressure, and keep layering if the blood seeps through. DO NOT remove those bandages/cloths/whatever to check if its still bleeding because that will just reopen the wound. If you have a severed limb, you can use a tourniquet but that gives you about 2 hours before you lose the limb.
#24
Running in zigzags from an alligator.
While they are surprisingly fast sprinters, running in zigzags is more likely to get you eaten than just running away in a straight line.
That being said, gators rarely try to chase a human other than to defend its nest.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
Don't go in any water that's known to have alligators/crocs. Should be a given, but it's amazing to me how many people get chomped doing it.
#25
If you think you're going to be robbed at the bank, then put your PIN into the ATM backward, and it'll send some sort of emergency signal.
This isn't true. Plus, some people may have PINs that are the same forwards and backwards in the first place.
#26
Drinking cactus water.
It will give you diarrhea which will further dehydrate you.
#27
Don’t get under an overpass during a tornado. If you’re in a vehicle and can’t go inside something like a gas station or rest stop you’re better off in a ditch and cover your head. But overpasses/bridges are not a good place to be during a tornado.
#28
Take an extra bic lighter. You don’t need a flint & steel or a bow drill.
#29
I’m not sure how the myth started, but do not sleep naked in a sleeping bag. Unless you want to I guess. But it will not keep you warmer by “reflecting the heat” or anything like that. Clothing is another, important, layer of insulation.
Don Adams 4 months ago
Not naked, but not fully dressed either. You will sleep warm, but you will feel colder rather quick. Sleep in underwear, long johns, etc. as you get dressed your clothes will trap air, which will act as insulation, and you will stay more comfortable during the day. Source- me, after several years in the Army and more than a few nights snuggled in a fartsack in cold conditions.
#30
Not a survival tip. Lightning does strike twice (or more) in the same place.
LillieMean 4 months ago
If you are outside when a thunderstorm comes and you cannot get inside, the safest thing to do is to crouch down with your legs together and cover your ears with your hands. Do this immediately if you feel your hair standing up. Doing this will ground you and allow the electricity to pass through you more safely. Don't go under a tree. Lightning is more likely to strike a tree. When I've been hiking, I've seen rocks split by lightning. Lightning is a truly terrifying force of nature.
#31
People think "survival" and think about hunting, building a 3 story mansion, creating water filters, and woodworking.
Most actual survival situations is basically getting some snacks, water, and signalling until you are found.
Pretty much the most important part is to just stay put when you realize you are lost, wandering around will make things so much worse.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 4 months ago
So you're saying all the hours I've put into playing survival games like Ark are wasted? WASTED?? XD (/joke)
#32
That you can get water by c*****g open a cactus and drinking the liquid inside. Unless you are a botanist who can identify the one or two specific types of cactus that are safe, you're going to have a bad time. The fluid in most cacti is full of acids and alkaloids that will make you violently ill. You'll end up vomiting, which will make you lose way more water than you gained and speed up the dehydration process.
#33
Alcohol warms the blood. They used to have giant st bernards with brandy casks around their neck. The dogs would find lost hikers and the brandy would "help them warm up and stay alive" Such a widespread idea that it is still visible in a lot of older cartoons.
Or so they thought.
In fact, the story of the St Bernards is largely a myth as well. Alcohol lowers body temperature and actually causes harm in these situations.
#34
If you find a water source, remember something else is using it too. Some you can eat some can eat you.
Rali Meyer 4 months ago
now I like to know: what are the chances, looking at mostly rivers and lakes, to find an animal inside that eats you? Unless you are in the everglades or a jungle. Or Loch Ness
#35
If you have a nosebleed, tilt your head back.
You should really lean forward while pinching the soft part of your nose closed so all the blood doesn’t run down the back of your throat into your stomach and make you vomit. If you have blood in your mouth from this already, spit it out or let it run out.
People love to argue about this and I’ll never understand why.
BookFanatic 4 months ago
And pinch it for at least 10 minutes before checking the tissue. No peeking!
#36
The idea that you should never move someone if you suspect a spinal injury is overstated.
Now they teach that it’s ok to (gently) move someone if you can make them more comfortable or safer. Especially if it will be a while before rescue .
It’s now thought that the initial trauma was enough to cause that damage, or it wasn’t, and gently moving them won’t leave them worse off.
Kabuki Kitsune 4 months ago
Simple rule of thumb: If nothing is on fire, about to explode, or sinking into water... don't move them. Otherwise... move them.
#37
Suck out the snake bite.
#38
Fire by friction is easy. I can do it after just watching a bunch of youtube videos.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
Ha! Just watching people on Survivor with flint tells me fire ain't easy!
#39
3 feet of pine boughs compresses down to an amount that will keep u warm in an improvised shelter. At -40 take everything and anything.
#40
*Do not get in a doorway during an earthquake.* Get under a sturdy table ~~or get down next to something sturdy.~~
~~Rescuers often find still-alive people in what’s called the “triangle of life.” Debris will fall onto the sturdy object and create a triangle-shaped safe zone next to it.~~
Edit: this has apparently changed since I took CERT training. The common advice is to “drop cover and hold on.” Thank you to those who commented!
The doorway thing was only true way back in the day for adobe and brick construction.
#41
Drinking alcohol to stay warm...
King Of Birbz 4 months ago
isnt this like the 3rd time this tip has been repeated in the same post....
#42
Don't go swimming after dinner.
#43
Moving in quicksand makes you sink faster.
#44
If you crash your car into a river or lake, let it sink,and the pressure equalise before you try and get out.
Becca not Becky 4 months ago
Is this the myth? I heard that you should open the back windows and hustle on out before the car sinks further.
#45
Let’s say ur stranded in the desert with only a water bottle, ppl think to take sips every while to preserve it throughout ur time there. But it’s actually better to just drink it all at once.
#46
A lot of the fighting stuff.
"I'd just gouge their eyes, or bite them, or punch them in the throat, or kick him in the nuts", etc. are things spouted by people who don't have any training in a legitimate martial art, let alone had a single schoolyard scuffle when they were younger. It's just plain dangerous advice — doubly so when that kind of c**p is taught in slow motion drills at "self defence" classes, giving people false confidence.
JD3 4 months ago
I have been punched in the throat and it stopped me in my tracks I can tell you, took me months before I could swallow without pain. Been kicked in the family jewels too and that's a game changer. Why isn't doing that to an offender good advice?
Becky Samuel 4 months ago
Unless you have been trained, it's very likely that your attacker has a lot more experience at fighting than you do. Men instinctively protect their groin area, so it's a surprisingly hard target to actually hit. Throwing a punch puts your arm into grabbing distance, you want to very much try to stay *out* of grabbing distance if at all possible.
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Katiekat 4 months ago
Just get out alive! Do whatever you have to do to get away. If someone attacks, their life is in their own hands, and they are a perpetrator. JUST SURVIVE.
David Morgan 4 months ago
That's EXACTLY the kind of nonsense 'self defence' advice OP was talking about. Not every 'attack' justifies a lethal response, and if you haven't had any actual experience practicing doing violence in a safe training environment, you will almost certainly be very bad at it. You won't be dealing out fight-ending blows, you'll be flailing, tripping over and getting hurt. People train for a reason, effective violence is NOT easy.
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Deborah B 4 months ago
Fighting. Don't do it if you can avoid it. Back off. Run away. Scream gibberish like a crazy person. Don't get in a fight if you can avoid it. If someone grabs you, yeah, fight to get free. Then run away. Don't be the guy who punches some belligerant a*****e for grabbing his arm, and goes to prison for manslaughter because he hits his head on the pavement and dies.
#48
Anything that focus on being prepared physically without being prepared mentally .
#49
Growing up I feel like I heard “stop, drop, and roll” everywhere. Not 1 viral video or movie have I ever seen anyone do this when on fire. I’m starting to think I was lied to, maybe other people can prevent forest fires too?
Kabuki Kitsune 4 months ago
Movies and "viral" videos do not equate to real life. The stop, drop, and roll, system will help you put out any flame that is on your body by smothering it. It's also better than getting hit in the face with the blast from a fire extinguisher, as they're either carbon dioxide (which will suffocate you), or chemicals, which will poison you.
#50
If you’re in trouble, call the police.
David Morgan 4 months ago
Calling the Police IN GENERAL has no downside if you are in trouble. Even in the US, there are tens of millions of interactions between Police and public every year, and only a tiny fraction are bad - they still need to be addressed but they ARE a minority. The problem is response time - it takes time to contact them, establish the problem and what they should do, where you are, and for them to get to you. Sometimes you need to save yourself or things won't happen fast enough.
What do you think ?
Max PePel 4 months ago
I think we should be much more worried about radicals, terrorist, and stupid little pricks f"cking each other up, so that they can sit back, spend billions of our tax-money on their defence toys and send young humans to clean up the mess they made. Take islam: we can't speak about it because we offend the ones who claim it's a religion of peace. But the ones who claim so, are irrelevant. What is relevant are the ones who want to eliminate anyone who's not like them. What I think is that, having men in charge for thousands of years, this world to them is just a sandpit, and to me religion is a big t**d, with islam being diarrhea. The day I see an elephant folding legs, kneeling down and say a prayer out loud as it's written in a book, I'll change my mind. Till then, I respect their territory by staying out of it/adjusting to their law and order. Same with neighbours: if they want visitors to sit on the floor I either adjust or stay out. Very simple.
[>.<]/ 4 months ago
Always happy to live in The Netherlands were the worst that can happen is an insect-bite or a tick.
Bowen 4 months ago
I’ve got my first check for a total of thirteen thousand US dollars. I am so energized, this is whenever I first really acquired something. I will work much harder now and I can hardly hang tight for the following week’s installment. Go to the Home tab for more detail. I highly recommend everyone to apply……………….www.best.work43.com
Max PePel 4 months ago
I think we should be much more worried about radicals, terrorist, and stupid little pricks f"cking each other up, so that they can sit back, spend billions of our tax-money on their defence toys and send young humans to clean up the mess they made. Take islam: we can't speak about it because we offend the ones who claim it's a religion of peace. But the ones who claim so, are irrelevant. What is relevant are the ones who want to eliminate anyone who's not like them. What I think is that, having men in charge for thousands of years, this world to them is just a sandpit, and to me religion is a big t**d, with islam being diarrhea. The day I see an elephant folding legs, kneeling down and say a prayer out loud as it's written in a book, I'll change my mind. Till then, I respect their territory by staying out of it/adjusting to their law and order. Same with neighbours: if they want visitors to sit on the floor I either adjust or stay out. Very simple.
[>.<]/ 4 months ago
Always happy to live in The Netherlands were the worst that can happen is an insect-bite or a tick.
Bowen 4 months ago
I’ve got my first check for a total of thirteen thousand US dollars. I am so energized, this is whenever I first really acquired something. I will work much harder now and I can hardly hang tight for the following week’s installment. Go to the Home tab for more detail. I highly recommend everyone to apply……………….www.best.work43.com
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