It all comes down to an irrational phobia about drug use per se. This is the underlying problem that must be challenged.
So true, my guess is that in both our cases if our work colleagues knew about our long term drug use they would have a hard time taking it in, I've had extreme shock when people have seen I've a few tattoos.
You arent supposed to be able to function of you use drugs let alone have a job and pay taxes, ironically people are equally confused when I say I don't drink, I'm not inclined to tell all and sundry why although if I know someone and it comes up I'm happy to explain.
IME many a tech professional is a drug user, some more so than others. I knew the American security consultant / hacker Barnaby Jack a little although we never met in person, a more engaging and intelligent person you couldn't hope to meet. Turned out he was playing hard, so much so he met his end in a hotel room full of allsorts, from heroin to Xanax to Champagne, shame as he was a talented and unique person, just misjudged things a little that night I guess.
Others can rarely tell if your using or getting into a mess, I went back to work after having to take 3 months off, stress and things had led to heavy drinking, benzos and all sorts of stims. I literally fell to pieces. My boss who was a decent guy said he got no inkling there was a problem and to him I seemed fine, in truth only Mrs A knew as I can hide nothing from her. People happily joke about excessive drinking and don't see it for the drug abuse it is, I've often had people try and coerce me into having a drink when I've declined multiple times, my 12 year old understands ....I had a problem with this substance and decided to abstain just like any other drug user and smoking seems to get a free pass because it doesnt actually get you off your face, just gets you addicted and damages your health....great
I accept that there are many dysfunctional people using drugs but I'm certain there are many more functional ones, I understand the amounts were relatively small but I held down a job for 3 years taking prescribed morphine daily not to mention years of benzo use, I'm not recommending it but many of us here do not conform to the stereo type that many buy into. My experience (limited as it is) with people who's lives have fallen apart through drug use is that the situation is often more complex, previous physical or sexual abuse seems a common factor as does mental illness and homelessness would push most people to seeking refuge in something, the reason I always drop the guy that sits in one of the underpasses near the tower of London a £5, he doesnt want fukin tea, he needs a bag, I know because I stopped once and had a chat.
Maybe I'm wrong but I hate the way people patronise those folk by offering to buy them food, if you want to offer some help give them the money and let them decide what they need. He is unlikely to get off the gear whilst he is living like that, he really needs a proper place to stay and genuine help or at least someone who has regular contact to start to help, Heroin is probably one of his few comforts, he clearly has fuk all else and I feel OK about helping him with that.
I knew of a few folk that fell into heroin through the party scene, after parties were a wash with the stuff along with K and a few liked it a bit too much, I got into coke this way and more abusive use of amphetamines and MDMA, downers just didnt appeal
I've found NHS drug services can be equally misinformed, I had a counsellor last year suggest that buy me spending £1-200 a month on drugs I was depriving my kids, I had to tell her how much I earnt (considered very crass in the UK) and she just couldn't get her head round it, suggested I couldnt sustain such a lifestyle but I do less drugs now than I've done for sometime just my use is different and something I want to try and change in time. I never went back there, she knew nothing beyond dealing with broken people either alcoholic or with heroin / crack problems and assumed all drug users must be as dysfunctional and at the services mercy.
My experience with therapists has been better, I am investigating a private one ATM. They are less interested in the details of the drug use, infact the last one I saw asked no questions about it. Good ones recognise that the drug use is likely a symptom of something deeper if the person is unhappy about it, work on the persons problems and then look at removing problematic drug use. For me if I wasnt such a miserable fucker with little regard for myself I'm sure I'd find it easier not to use drugs in the abusive manner I do from time to time, of course its a vicious circle but it wont be broken by removing the drugs, they are a coping mechanism I've learnt. I very much doubt I'm in any way unique in that respect, in fact I know full well I'm not.
Just a normal person with normal problems that through circumstance is dealing with some of those problems by taking substances that temporarily relieve the symptoms, I'm more functional and productive when on amphetamines with the way I use these days, just like for a while benzos relived my anxiety. I've used amphetamines without such problems since I was 19. No drug abuse problems surfaced until my 30s, my previous weekend use was the very model of recreation albeit I enjoyed excess, I never used in the week apart from hash, didnt drink and when the party was over I could have drugs and just stash them for the next time.
Let's face it if that fat bastard from the coop bank was hoofing meth, coke and K anyone could be
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
