4 ms·

A lot of people smoke weed, almost everyone I know has at least tried it. What I find is many engineers abuse Adderall and similar medications. People at work

by mozman 3y ago

A lot of people smoke weed, almost everyone I know has at least tried it. What I find is many engineers abuse Adderall and similar medications. People at work openly talk about their strategy to get a larger dosage from their doctor. I am not anti drugs but I can't help but see this as a race to the bottom.

Fauntleroy 3y ago
What kind of workplace are you at? Do you truly believe this is commonplace behavior among all engineers?
- badtuple 3y ago
  They didn't say all engineers, and I certainly wouldn't assert that. But I've definitely seen it personally at 2 early stage startups, a moderate-ish size business, and a Fortune 100. Just a handful of people, but they were very open about it. Those around them simply participated in the conversation and didn't judge. It was never framed as "abuse." It was talked about very casually as a tool to get more work done, and they deliberately sought out an ADHD diagnosis for access. I'm in no way judging. They DID get a diagnosis and are using it as treatment. The reason it's relevant is because _they_ talked about it as a tool to get more work done, or a way to be "on" after a late night. Not as part of treatment. But there are tons of reasons why that could be, none of which can be assumed.
  - soultrees 3y ago
    I can attest. A lot of people with ADHD will gravitate towards cannabis because of the focussing effect. Cannabis affects everyone different and some people need to sink into the couch after smoking, but myself I usually find myself going for a bike ride, working in excel, code, or cleaning, which is a big one. That said, I have worked for one of the largest cannabis companies in the world (at the time) and I can say, some of the most productive people I know are all day, every day smokers. A lot of them should have been on some sort of adhd meds for sure but if the cannabis is working, and it keeps them off pharmaceuticals then what’s the harm? It really did change my perception of how some people operate while stoned. All that said, it’s easy to use cannabis as a crutch, it’s definitely not healthy in other ways but there are worse things to be hooked on.
    - mrguyorama 3y ago
      I find weed helps eliminate the "choice paralysis" that I have with my ADHD, but the other things it does, like making boring and tedious and repetitive things fun, make it TERRIBLE to self medicate with.
zxexz 3y ago
I've worked at a fair few companies of various sizes. I've never seen this behavior. Many SWEs I've known are on stimulant ADHD meds, but I've only ever found out about it after knowing them for awhile. The same goes for people in other professions though - I think I actually know MORE people outside of tech than in it that take are prescribed ADHD meds. And I definitely have never heard people sharing strategies for getting their dose upped. TBH most ADHD people I know (but not all) seize any chance they can to skip taking their meds. I wonder if you work in a particular field? I've never worked in finance but that aligns with the totally unjustified stereotype of that industry.
- astrange 3y ago
  > TBH most ADHD people I know (but not all) seize any chance they can to skip taking their meds. That would have to be stimulants, because all the other kinds are very unpleasant to quit suddenly. (This is the opposite of the common belief that stimulants are addictive and everything else is safe.)

by mozman 3y ago

Fauntleroy 3y ago

What kind of workplace are you at? Do you truly believe this is commonplace behavior among all engineers?

badtuple 3y ago
They didn't say all engineers, and I certainly wouldn't assert that. But I've definitely seen it personally at 2 early stage startups, a moderate-ish size business, and a Fortune 100. Just a handful of people, but they were very open about it. Those around them simply participated in the conversation and didn't judge. It was never framed as "abuse." It was talked about very casually as a tool to get more work done, and they deliberately sought out an ADHD diagnosis for access. I'm in no way judging. They DID get a diagnosis and are using it as treatment. The reason it's relevant is because _they_ talked about it as a tool to get more work done, or a way to be "on" after a late night. Not as part of treatment. But there are tons of reasons why that could be, none of which can be assumed.
- soultrees 3y ago
  I can attest. A lot of people with ADHD will gravitate towards cannabis because of the focussing effect. Cannabis affects everyone different and some people need to sink into the couch after smoking, but myself I usually find myself going for a bike ride, working in excel, code, or cleaning, which is a big one. That said, I have worked for one of the largest cannabis companies in the world (at the time) and I can say, some of the most productive people I know are all day, every day smokers. A lot of them should have been on some sort of adhd meds for sure but if the cannabis is working, and it keeps them off pharmaceuticals then what’s the harm? It really did change my perception of how some people operate while stoned. All that said, it’s easy to use cannabis as a crutch, it’s definitely not healthy in other ways but there are worse things to be hooked on.
  - mrguyorama 3y ago
    I find weed helps eliminate the "choice paralysis" that I have with my ADHD, but the other things it does, like making boring and tedious and repetitive things fun, make it TERRIBLE to self medicate with.

zxexz 3y ago

I've worked at a fair few companies of various sizes. I've never seen this behavior. Many SWEs I've known are on stimulant ADHD meds, but I've only ever found out about it after knowing them for awhile. The same goes for people in other professions though - I think I actually know MORE people outside of tech than in it that take are prescribed ADHD meds. And I definitely have never heard people sharing strategies for getting their dose upped. TBH most ADHD people I know (but not all) seize any chance they can to skip taking their meds. I wonder if you work in a particular field? I've never worked in finance but that aligns with the totally unjustified stereotype of that industry.

astrange 3y ago
> TBH most ADHD people I know (but not all) seize any chance they can to skip taking their meds. That would have to be stimulants, because all the other kinds are very unpleasant to quit suddenly. (This is the opposite of the common belief that stimulants are addictive and everything else is safe.)