This is a great initiative. The hyper enthusiastic nature of our tech industry hides many of the underlying problems.
You can also mention about the tech addiction that is ruining so many people. I am one of the victims and not a recovering tech addict. But one particular friend of mine had it worse. He is borderline ADHD, high sugar and fat due to sedentary lifestyle, anxiety issues, eye problems, headaches, insomnia etc. I am not sure how many people will have to suffer before this problem is addressed.
Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector
541–550 of 642 posts
Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector
#542Earlier 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.
I don't sleep at work and I don't take naps. Oddly, if I take caffeine, I get very tired and would probably want a nap. If someone at work took a nap, nobody would care as long as it was a shortish one, no meetings were missed, and the individual usually gets their work done. If someone was coming in and sleeping all day, I'm sure that would be a problem.
If caffeine makes you tired, you probably have ADHD
Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector
#543Earlier quoted context omitted.
Mate is the 'same' as coffee, in that it's just caffeine. There is some research to say that the mate derived caffeine is largely an isomer of caffeine, in that the molecule is shaped differently. This is then used to explain why mate is more potent to users without a habituation to coffee derived caffeine. However, the research is still ongoing and the isomer theory is not yet proved, AFAIK. Likely it's just a place…
There is some research to say that the mate derived caffeine is largely an isomer of caffeine, in that the molecule is shaped differently. This is then used to explain why mate is more potent to users without a habituation to coffee derived caffeine. However, the research is still ongoing and the isomer theory is not yet proved, AFAIK. This sounds very dubious. Caffeine has only one stereoisomer. And if you mean a st…
I am not up to date on the research. A few years ago the stimulant in mate was more broadly classified as a xanthine, not specifically caffeine.
Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector
#544Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wish there was a culture of naming and shaming these companies and executives. This is the sort of behavior that would be really easy for engineers to abolish by simply not working there.
Unfortunately, doing so can be a risk. If the target of such comments gets wind of it, they could easily sue for defamation or libel, and possibly even win, given that it's probably hard to back up a lot of these accusations in a way that would hold up in court.
That sounds doubtful to me. I'm not a lawyer (and I don't think it sounds like you are either?) but at least in the US, my understanding is that courts grant quite a bit of latitude to people speaking freely about their own experiences. I don't really know though, but I would definitely be surprised (and incensed) to find out that this is a widespread problem.
Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector
#545Where I work it doesn't seem to be much, but there are certainly people who have tried weed. Some have done cocaine I know. I colleague of mine many years ago started doing cocaine at around 25 and he got into a lot of problems. I remember him talking about how drugs were much easier to handle when you start late and is much more mature. Turned out he was wrong and couldn't control it. But I live in Norway, where I t…
> I remember him talking about how drugs were much easier to handle when you start late and is much more mature. Turned out he was wrong and couldn't control it.
No, he was right. It's just that this drug still wasn't easy enough.
Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector
#546:)
Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector
#547Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't sleep at work and I don't take naps. Oddly, if I take caffeine, I get very tired and would probably want a nap. If someone at work took a nap, nobody would care as long as it was a shortish one, no meetings were missed, and the individual usually gets their work done. If someone was coming in and sleeping all day, I'm sure that would be a problem.
If caffeine makes you tired, you probably have ADHD
Caffeine is known to make people sleepy as well. See the comments in this thread regarding "espresso naps". I can attest to their efficacy.
Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector
#548Wow, this discussion is mindblowing. Working in software dev for 20 years, in Germany, and I have never seen any developer taking any stimulants. But maybe this is because only my first job was at a young startup, and I quickly learned that working 24/7 just isn't for me and I need a more stable environment. Today, the way whalesalad and others describe the effect of Adderall sounds interesting to me, but I would nev…
I feel completely the same! I have been working in electrical engineering in Zurich, and I've never seen or heard anyone use anything other than caffeine during and alcohol after work. Now I wonder whether I'm just naive or there is a massive cultural divide between Silicon Valley and Central Europe w.r.t. stimulants.
Meanwhile cocaine usage in Zürich is one of the highest in Europe ( https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/drug-capitals_zurich-is-europe-... ) which boggles my mind - I assume this is the finance industry
Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector
#549dont work in tech, Work in direct patient-care. When patients are admitted as in paitientswe ask health hx questions. People tend to be very honest with health care workers and always tell the truth about their substance use. Whenever i see a (usually) Caucasian male btw 25-45, its always cardiac issues and there's always coke in their hx. These are not losers living in their moms basement, it's Yale town yuppies, coal harbour finance guys,north van architects etc that thought they could handle it, till that angina kicked in. These guys get the benefit of the doubt, but First Nation males and people that live on the DTES dont. You have no idea how many patient charts i see, that clearly say " DO NOT DISCUSS SUBSTANCE ISSUES WITH FAMILY/FRIENDS IN ROOM" as the patient hasn't told them and doesn't want them to know. At least we have a more progressive approach to substance abuse. This abstinence, just say no Nancy Reagan BS is unrealistic
Re: Ask HN: I'm writing a book about white-collar drug use, including tech sector
#550Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'll second this. I don't even drink coffee. I've encountered people who seem absolutely incredulous that I take no stimulants at all. "How do you stay awake?" is something I'm asked. My go-to response now is "I don't. If I'm tired, I get more sleep." Some of these people probably think that I'm lying. There are a lot of people who think that sleeping at work is a bad idea, but I think it's a lot better than guzzling…
Not quite the same, but I used to have a coworker who drank a 2L bottle of Mountain Dew every day. Sure enough, he was the one falling asleep in meetings. I'm sure he felt that the caffeine was necessary to keep him awake, but obviously it wasn't solving the problem -- I imagine the sugar was creating the crash, I know I'm much more sleepy if I eat junk, but then again, I don't know, perhaps he had something else goi…
Yup, I always dozed off after my lunch. Eat the same sandwich every day. After I switched from a can soda to a bottle water with lunch I feel much less inclined to doze.