There are a lot of things that could get in our way, post apocalypse, and perhaps the most simple one is ones that post apocalypse games, literature and comics rarely cover (perhaps cause it’s gross, perhaps cause it’s dull) and it’s a fairly simple one. Our basic biological needs.
Our needs to eat, drink, shit, piss and sleep(yes, I’m going to swear in this one. Are you honestly surprised?).
We have other biological drives as well- the need for sex, being the first one I think of – but most of those can be ignored when the danger is really intense. We can’t ignore the others.
It really is quite simple. Without serious, negative, consequences for your health, you simply cannot ignore these basic drives.
You need to eat to gain strength and energy and to keep yourself alive.
You need to drink to hydrate your body and brain and to keep yourself alive. You need to excrete to remove waste prouducts and poisons and to keep youself alive. You need to sleep so you rest your brain and can keep yourself alive. Are you getting the hint yet? You need to do all of these things to keep yourself alive.
It’s why we’re in favour of group survival, rather than trying to make it on your own. A group you can trust allows you time and space to do these essential maintenance tasks, watching your back while you are vulnerable and at risk, as long as you do the same for them.
Sole survivors may well find themselves at great risk when trying to shit- literally being caught with their pants down. Or they may find they can’t sleep safely, slowly becoming more and more exhausted until they go mad. Lack of sleep can even kill you, so thinking you can just hold it together is stupid.
So, when making your survival plans, don’t forget your biological needs.
Allow for them, and you’re less likely to be caught out. You are not a machine, don’t think you can act like one.