From: reb@amc.com (Bob Brunjes)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: hand shake
Date: 28 Jan 93 04:17:38 GMT
Organization: Applied Microsystems, Redmond, WA

In article <viking.727690601@ponderous.cc.iastate.edu> viking@iastate.edu (Dan Sorenson) writes:
#{NOTE: the following is, as I understand, within the charter and is
#certain to garner loads of responses.  If you see this, the moderator
#has deemed it reasonable to post.  I'll let him decide if this
#response is best dealt with elsewhere. -- Dan Sorenson}
#
#dc@maths.tcd.ie (Daniel Carroll) writes:
#
##   What would you experrts out there recomend to someone with a slight
##shake in their hand.I myself suffer from this inheireted disease and i
##would like to know if there is a way of increasing the accuracy of 
##my shot.
#
#	We're all responsible adults, right?  That being said, I've a
#good friend and roommate with a similar disease.  In short, his hands
#shake and it's not caffeine overdose.  What to do?  A doctor said there
#was a drug that would stop it, but that the cost was roughtly $70/week.
#Too much for a college student.  Now for the dangerous part.
#
#	He drinks a beer.  That's it.  While your disease may not be the
#same as his, we've found that a glass of brew settles his nerves, so to
#speak, and does not produce intoxication.  Check yourself at the pub,
#not at the range with a gun, to see if this is a viable option.
#
--------------------deleted------------------------
#
#	In short, using the drug doesn't mean abusing it, and I hope
#I've made this point sufficiently clear with regards to Daniel's
#problem.  I would have just e-mailed this, but I wanted the readers
#to make their own judgements on my drug position and reply to this.
#Daniel, I'm trusting you to make the judgement.  Don't let me down.
#
#< Dan Sorenson, DoD #1066 z1dan@exnet.iastate.edu viking@iastate.edu >
#<  ISU only censors what I read, not what I say.  Don't blame them.  >
#<     USENET: Post to exotic, distant machines.  Meet exciting,      >
#<                 unusual people.  And flame them.                   >
#
#[MODERATOR:  *whew*   This *IS* a touchy one.  I'm pretty inclined to
#advocate strict adherence to our usual convention "don't mix guns and
#drugs in any way."  But I think Dan has done a thoughtful job of expressing
#that there may be a circumstances --- for others if not for me --- where we
#can at least think about this.  I'm not going to can this note.... it DOES
#open a can of worms, potentially, but we are still the kindler and gentler
#news group, capable of hashing this out in a civil fashion ... (that's a 
#big hint, groupies  ... :-) ]

I, too have a tendency to "get the shakes" very mildly, and it also
affects my pistol shooting greatly.  By the time I was 19 or 20, I
was able to link this shakiness to apparent hunger, and most probably
low blood sugar.  I made it a point never to shoot on an empty stomach.

Interestingly, once you allow the shakes to occur, simply eating does
not correct the problem very quickly.  The first time a friend
suggested having _part_ of his beer (we were both shooters and were
also concerned about drinking and shooting) with my meal before
shooting, the shakes disappeared rapidly, and I shot very well.

This lesson was not lost on me, but my essential caution keeps me
from using alcohol as a shooting tool.  It _can_ work very well,
though.  It also may be safer than doctor-prescribed drugs.


Bob Brunjes		Applied Microsystems Corp
			Redmond, WA
			reb@amc.com