How can wetting accidents be avoided?

[Bigdog]

How can one reduce their chance of no having a wetting accident? It sounds obvious like go to the toilet, but bladders don’t exactly work 100% predictably or reliably and I don’t believe that age is connected to bladder size.

[Brian]

Yes, going to the toilet before leaving home, or before finishing your break at work, or before entering any kind of situation where you're under any sort of obligation, is a no-brainer which most people probably learn to do by instinct. But yes, there's more to it than that.

For me it's a matter of knowing my body, sensing what it's doing, and using that to judge whether I should stop drinking any more fluids.

I've read somewhere that live broadcasters covering lengthy events, for example election nights when voting results are coming in for hours on end, are advised not to drink anything in the three hours before the broadcast starts. But that's pretty drastic, can be unhealthy, and isn't appropriate for most everyday situations.

More generally, for all of us, I suppose a sort of risk assessment is needed. We don't want to get dehydrated, but we certainly don't want to piss ourselves as a result of needing to pee when we can't. So we ask ourselves: can we risk a coffee/tea/juice/water in the circumstances, or do we play it safe?

But not everyone does that consistently. Perhaps some people haven't had enough bitter experience yet and don't think of the dangers. Others just don't think. Hence the interesting situations we all sometimes see. Or sometimes experience ourselves!

[Bigdog]

Sometimes it catches people out and makes the best of pee holders sweat. I heard drinking water was always advisable rather than juice

[googlism2008]

Yes, going to the toilet before leaving home, or before finishing your break at work, or before entering any kind of situation where you're under any sort of obligation, is a no-brainer which most people probably learn to do by instinct. But yes, there's more to it than that.

For me it's a matter of knowing my body, sensing what it's doing, and using that to judge whether I should stop drinking any more fluids.

I've read somewhere that live broadcasters covering lengthy events, for example election nights when voting results are coming in for hours on end, are advised not to drink anything in the three hours before the broadcast starts. But that's pretty drastic, can be unhealthy, and isn't appropriate for most everyday situations.

More generally, for all of us, I suppose a sort of risk assessment is needed. We don't want to get dehydrated, but we certainly don't want to piss ourselves as a result of needing to pee when we can't. So we ask ourselves: can we risk a coffee/tea/juice/water in the circumstances, or do we play it safe?

But not everyone does that consistently. Perhaps some people haven't had enough bitter experience yet and don't think of the dangers. Others just don't think. Hence the interesting situations we all sometimes see. Or sometimes experience ourselves!

And one added difficulty is, always playing it safe and visiting the toilet at all available opportunities doesn't help to train the bladder. Instead, going too often reduces its capacity over the long run, increasing the risk of accidents. Each individual has to find the correct balance for himself.

[Tytn]

I frequently get a phone call from a mate for distraciton. We'd talk about work and other issues, then he'd reveal where he is; often the M4 eastbound approaching the Monmouth road, where he would be flying down the slip road in his 40 ton truck, slipping into teh first layby for a long piss. Sometimes he'd mention the various coffee's had since his last piss, and I'd often be on teh line when he was explosively releasing in the layby into the hedge or the swearing when that layby was full. We both knew where the next was, and the way to get into it, and the places we shouldn't stop. Oh, and he'd be cursing other slow drivers and reminicing how he could be another 100ft closer to that layby of that idiot was not in front.

We have both done the South Wales runs; both starting at midnight for the 14hr planned shift or the 2pm starts for one drop in the Midlands and 3 in South Wales. Because, you know, the runs are planned by the computers and, well, free coffee at stores....

There was a time he'd got out of teh cab and had the door closed and was facing forwards whilst letting out a strong waterfall with many gasps of releif from him when i pointed out the CCTV looking right at him from the nearside front wind deflector
"Well, hopefully it can see my parts, I've not seen them for the last 20 years without a mirror'

This is what happens when you get older and drive a lot lol.

We also push our own limits to get places, to do things and stuff like that.

[pissbaby]

Limiting liquid intake, Especially caffeine (coffee, energy drinks). But not so much that you're dehydrated. Making sure you pee before you're in a situation where you won't be able to for a while.

[Bigdog]

I always remember being told to use the toilet even you don’t need to go, it’s something which has stuck to me

[Fred]

I always remember being told to use the toilet even you don’t need to go, it’s something which has stuck to me

This is, of course, a way to reduce bladder capacity. Bladder training experts advise against too many "precautionary pees".

[AlphaJock]

Desperate guys are often much more concerned with avoiding losing face in front of their mates which can lead to very unwise bathroom decisions.

[Fred]

Desperate guys are often much more concerned with avoiding losing face in front of their mates which can lead to very unwise bathroom decisions.

True. Among beer-drinking mates, the guy with the apparently small bladder is often the butt of jokes when he makes several trips to the toilet. This motivates some to hold as long as possible.