Am I the only one that finds HCM to be really.. annoying?

Having to fast travel back to Goodsprings (at least in the early part of the game) just to get something to drink feels ridiculous :sadvaultboy:

I disabled it for this character, already.

sounds brilliant to me. If you walked out into the desert without water you wouldn't last very long. Try to find other sources, maybe some cola etc Or just switch HC off.

You could also buy or collect water before you head out of town. I have a very hard time believing there was no water to be found in whatever town you were in.

Or ignore the debuff untill you find a supply of water. You won't die untill the meter runs out I think.