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Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector

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Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector

#501

Post by wcarron »

mnm1 wrote: post #255
wcarron wrote: post #227

Well, there are recreational and performance-enhancing drugs. The attitudes about the two types are different. Coffee, alcohol, nicotine, and pot are all just normalized. Nobody cares. We chat about it in passing (e.g "so Friday I was high....blah blah rest of story"). Coffee is perf-enhancing but people treat it recreationally. The performance stuff is alluded to but not really in any detail. Cocaine, adderall, rita…

White trash drugs? Benzodiazepines, of which kolonopin is one are used by over 15 million people in the US and over 10 in the UK. It's one of the most widely used, widely prescribed categories of drugs and kolonopin one of the top prescribed in the category. And opiates? Who uses opiates who isn't addicted to them? You think being rich gives you a pass on addiction, and chronic pain?

Woah woah woah. Hold on. I'm most certainly not saying that being well-to-do somehow makes me (or workers) better. I'm simply saying that __in the environments I worked in__ (responding to the post), certain drugs were definitely looked down upon when used recreationally. I called it "white-trash" as an example. Taking KPins because you actually have a prescription for something is __not__ what I was talking about. Doing whippets at parties or smoking crack was.

And, I mean, let's be real here, do you know any programmers who casually do heroin? I don't, and frankly, even though I sympathize heavily with people who suffer from addiction, I wouldn't personally associate with a person who does heroin in their free time.

Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector

#503

Post by rorykoehler »

colmvp wrote: post #498
Chriky wrote: post #475

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems utterly nuts to me that someone could sleep at work as a reasonable alternative to drinking coffee. Most jobs and workplaces are just not at all set up to sleep during the working day.

One thing I love about working from home is that I can take long naps. I'm usually far more productive after taking a much needed nap than trying to drink coffee/tea and power through it.

Have you tried an espresso nap? It works great. Drink an espresso when you're feeling tired and go to sleep straight away. 15 mins later you'll be awake and alert but also rested.

Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector

#504

Post by Snowwombat »

IT devops here, Australia, also worked in Electronic engineering, as well, about 20 years experience all up.

Stimulants are heavily abused,usually various forms of legal ones like Dexi Amphetamine, Adderall, Vyvance etc

You get the occasional cocaine user, but not a lot of meth heads, they tend to burn out fast.

There is a pretty big work hard / play hard culture so a lot of drinking after hours, and party drugs during the times we have off. (Cocaine, MDMA)

Not a huge amount of weed smokers in IT Devops, not much use of drugs like LSD.

Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector

#505

Post by ryandrake »

alexandercrohde wrote: post #433

What I wish people were saying on this thread are: 1. Do their friends in tech partake more/less/same than non-tech friends? Because I know people in tech who've done shrooms etc, but way way less than the ones outside of tech. 2. This would be better viewed quantitatively, seeing the whole gambit of responses here.

Yea, if there is one conclusion from this thread it’s that this topic is in dire need of solid academic study and measurement.

Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector

#506

Post by sarahmm100 »

I have a masters and I’ve been taking adderall and other forms of it for 10 years. I now live in San Fran and have a lot of inside info on founders and tech people who use all sorts of drugs. Email me if you would like to talk further lifeofsarahmiller@gmail.com

Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector

#509

Post by mlevental »

rorykoehler wrote: post #503
colmvp wrote: post #498

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing I love about working from home is that I can take long naps. I'm usually far more productive after taking a much needed nap than trying to drink coffee/tea and power through it.

Have you tried an espresso nap? It works great. Drink an espresso when you're feeling tired and go to sleep straight away. 15 mins later you'll be awake and alert but also rested.

is the thinking that the espresso takes 15 minutes to kick in?

Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector

#510

Post by grzm »

mlevental wrote: post #509
rorykoehler wrote: post #503

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried an espresso nap? It works great. Drink an espresso when you're feeling tired and go to sleep straight away. 15 mins later you'll be awake and alert but also rested.

is the thinking that the espresso takes 15 minutes to kick in?

It's a bit more complicated than that. Here's an article that gives a gloss as well as links to more detailed research:

https://www.vox.com/2014/8/28/6074177/coffee-naps-caffeine-s...

I was always surprised when I found myself suddenly so sleepy after a shot of espresso in the afternoon. It was nice to find that there's science backing it up.

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