35 Well-Known Survival Tips That Are Actually Untrue

At some point or another, we've all heard that if you're stuck in the desert, you could drink water from a cactus plant to rehydrate. However, most people don't consider that plant water may cause an adverse reaction, and you may end up even more dehydrated due to diarrhoea. Similarly, many survival tips are quite popular despite their lack of truth. The spread of misinformation could be potentially detrimental to someone who hasn't learned that these survival hacks are, in fact, quite fake. So with the intent of unlearning all the wrong information, we've chronicled a list of the most popular "survival tips" that are likely to do more harm than good, in the gallery below. More info: Reddit

#1

Image source: MrMonkey2, Ron Lach 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.

#2

Image source: sliderfish, Anuar Gresati Drinking cactus water. It will give you diarrhea which will further dehydrate you.

#3

Image source: Zerbo, RDNE Stock project 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.

#4

Image source: Benevir, Niki Clark A lot of people think that moss only grows on the north side of trees. It'll actually grow wherever it wants to.

#5

Image source: Ok-Cryptographer8721, Foad Roshan 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.

#6

Image source: yearsofpractice, cottonbro studio 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.

#7

Image source: RevBT, MART PRODUCTION 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.

#8

Image source: MyFurryIsStinky, KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA 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.

#9

Image source: Truvant, Trey Walker “Find food first” is a common one. But nope. You need water and shelter way before snacks.

#10

Image source: Responsible-Eye6788, Bear Grylls Ventures Basically anything Bear Grylls said or did on his show.

#11

Image source: Ok_Spell_4165, Ron Lach 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.

#12

Image source: GrinningPariah, Ron Lach 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.

#13

Image source: strp, Artem Balashevsky 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. .

#14

Image source: BlueScoob, Ricky Esquivel 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.

#15

Image source: Ricky_RZ, Jayson Hinrichsen 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.

#16

Image source: TurnoverInfamous3705, Alexey Demidov 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.

#17

Image source: moonlets_, Maurício Mascaro 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. .

#18

Image source: Efficient-username41, Andrea Piacquadio 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.

#19

Image source: brod121, cottonbro studio 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.

#20

Image source: CnCorange, apertur2.8 If you find a water source, remember something else is using it too. Some you can eat some can eat you.

#21

Image source: Beneficial-Focus3702, Svetlana? 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.**.

#22

Image source: applejackwrinkledick, Janko Ferlic "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.

#23

Image source: BenDover42, cottonbro studio 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.

#24

Image source: LotusPrince, Timo Altay 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.

#25

Image source: RenoxDashin, Katerina 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.

#26

Image source: TokiStark, Lachlan Ross Don't pee on jellyfish stings. It'll still sting but now you smell like p**s as well.

#27

Image source: The_reptilian_agenda, cottonbro studio 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.

#28

Image source: outoftheazul, MART PRODUCTION 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.

#29

Image source: HoldMyMessages, lil artsy Take an extra bic lighter. You don’t need a flint & steel or a bow drill.

#30

Image source: That_Walrus3455, Frank Cone Not a survival tip. Lightning does strike twice (or more) in the same place.

#31

Image source: Responsible_Talk5505, Khaya Motsa "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.

#32

Image source: StoreVegetable4294, RDNE Stock project First day in prison, punching the biggest and toughest looking prisoner in the face will not make your stay easier.

#33

Image source: PinxJinx, RDNE Stock project Do not burn yourself to stop the bleeding if wounded, as a medical professional once said: “you’ll just be bleeding AND burned”.

#34

Image source: LaKoref, Dziana Hasanbekava 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.

#35

Image source: stum_ble, Kaboompics.com 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.