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Would you quit drugs or quit your job?

There is definately an A List of professions that have a zero tolerance towards drugs eg. cops and military, yet mates working for two different mining companies say their workers are out if they fail a third test. It would be interesting to know which other occupations require mandatory testing of their workers and how they deal with positive test results eg. sacking, diversion programs, chances, role and performance appraisal issues etc.
 
Ideally I'd try to find a job which didn't drug test, so hopefully will never be an issue. I like drugs far too much to give them up... (rightly or wrongly, they fascinate the hell out of me - can feel pretty damn good too!)
 
What u do in ur own spare time has nothing to do with work, this is why I never understood this question. Being intoxicated during working hours on the other hand isnt acceptable. If I had to choose it would be a very hard decision, its not likely most of us could give up drugs due to work especially those people who cant function without them.
 
losthippy said:
Has the threat or reality of workplace drug tests caused you to consider quitting your drug use altogether? Or, do you feel so strongly about your personal choices that you would rather quit your job or get busted first to keep on using? We already have to think twice about what's in our systems before getting behind the wheel, so how does the spectre of failing a workplace drug-test(s), potentially losing your job and the knock-on effect to the rest of your life sit with you? I know some previously very long-term users in mining and the military who had to make the choice and they all opted to get clean and stay working. Interesting to note that most have increased their alcohol consumption and a few really give it a hammering now, more than they ever did when using their preferred recreational substances. It has been a real struggle for some who felt painted into a corner and forced to make life-changing decisions they didn't want to have to confront. Tonics, cleansers, evasive tactics and sheer good luck have run their course and testing time is nigh, so what will you do when it comes to you? Sorry for the ramble but there's a lot to be said.
Click to expand...

i am what you call a long term functioning drug addict in facing this exact situation....I currently hold a Senior Management position - 3 years ago I was given an extra 6 months notice that mouth swab drug testing was being introduced & it would be mandatory, being told constantly "don't think you wont get tested cause you will" STILL didn't stop me & as I still have not been called up i still use everyday ..... I'm very mindful that my evasive tactics and sheer good luck have run their course and testing time is bound to happen very soon, I would never quit my job but also I would never want work knowing the extent of my drug use so i always make sure to carry couple of Fisherman's Friends in my work jacket ready to munch on for when I do get called up....& yes on the mouth swab tests they really work ..... Im in two minds about getting caught though.....One side of me does not really want to get busted & have to do the walk of shame..yet as I have been working 10 hour days for the last 9 years the other side is simply begging to get busted so I can have a break & concentrate on going to rehab in peace without having to worry about working for 3-6months....
 
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losthippy said:
Has the threat or reality of workplace drug tests caused you to consider quitting your drug use altogether? Or, do you feel so strongly about your personal choices that you would rather quit your job or get busted first to keep on using? We already have to think twice about what's in our systems before getting behind the wheel, so how does the spectre of failing a workplace drug-test(s), potentially losing your job and the knock-on effect to the rest of your life sit with you? I know some previously very long-term users in mining and the military who had to make the choice and they all opted to get clean and stay working. Interesting to note that most have increased their alcohol consumption and a few really give it a hammering now, more than they ever did when using their preferred recreational substances. It has been a real struggle for some who felt painted into a corner and forced to make life-changing decisions they didn't want to have to confront. Tonics, cleansers, evasive tactics and sheer good luck have run their course and testing time is nigh, so what will you do when it comes to you? Sorry for the ramble but there's a lot to be said.
Click to expand...
no job->no money->no drugs and no job. And probably no gf either.
 
Kyles said:
i am what you call a long term functioning drug addict in facing this exact situation....I currently hold a Senior Management position with a Transport Company - 3 years ago I was given an extra 6 months notice that mouth swab drug testing was being introduced & it would be mandatory, being told constantly "don't think you wont get tested cause you will" STILL didn't stop me & as I still have not been called up i still use everyday ..... I'm very mindful that my evasive tactics and sheer good luck have run their course and testing time is bound to happen very soon, I would never quit my job but also I would never want work knowing the extent of my drug use so i always make sure to carry couple of Fisherman's Friends in my work jacket ready to munch on for when I do get called up....& yes on the mouth swab tests they really work ..... Im in two minds about getting caught though.....One side of me does not really want to get busted & have to do the walk of shame..yet as I have been working 10 hour days for the last 9 years the other side is simply begging to get busted so I can have a break & concentrate on going to rehab in peace without having to worry about working for 3-6months....
Click to expand...

I've only been tested once and it was a mouth swab.Between 5.30am and 6.30amI smoked about 0.3g of pot,shot 60mg of Morphine and had 10mg of Diazepam started work at 7am and was tested at about 8.15am,according to the pamphlet we were given all of these wouldd be tested for(opiates not morphine specifically if i remember correctly)I didn't even know mouth swabs could detect benzo's etc,Didn't matter though because the test came back clean!??!WTF....There were at least 4 other people that had smoked immediatly before work(and quite possibly more),they all came back clean too.....It was like they didn't want to catch us.Rediculous job to be doing drug testing at anyway,a chicken farm with no heavy machinery,knives,driving...nothing dangerous,no thinking involved,just disgusting.

To answer the original question...I'm on a Disability pension because of my drug addiction,so yes,I already have.
 
morpher001 said:
no job->no money->no drugs and no job. And probably no gf either.
Click to expand...

yeah, but what's missing here is the very realistic option of being employed in an industry that doesn't drug test.
in australia, at least, this is still a possibility for most of us. it's not something we should be resigned to - in fact, it's what the propaganda machine wants you to think:
"if you take drugs you will have no job, no earnings, no material possessions, no love, no support"

i'm a functioning drug addict with a full-time job and an amazingly loving relationship. i'm sure i'm not alone, either. i'm not rich but i'm pretty happy with how much i earn.

when people say things along the lines of "i'd quit drugs for a really high paying job" i think...well, some prostitutes earn a hell of lot of money too, but there are some compromises i'm not willing to make for more money.

i know a lot of people benefit greatly from working for mining companies or whatever institutions implement drug mandatory drug testing. set themselves up for life and all that.
and for many, many folk, passing a drug test requires absolutely no effort - not a second thought.
and good luck to 'em. good for them.
it's great that some kids are on the straight-and-narrow. not my bag, but who am i to judge? ;)

thing is, i'm not prepared to give my wonderful lifestyle up for any amount of money. my choice to have drug-infused piss is not for sale!
you get drug tested by the mining companies even if you scrub their toilets or work in their city offices thousands of kilometres from a mine site. fuck that.

the thing mandatory drug testing in employment does is cast out all of the people that are otherwise able to work just fine with drugs in their system.
it is really fucking cold and unethical. it means people end up unemployed, ostracised, on their own.

sure, people who operate heavy machinery or make life-or-death decisions shouldn't be high on drugs at work. that makes sense, fair enough. if you work in a position that could threaten your life or the lives of others if you are impaired, then you should be sober.

but this idea that it is ok to implement a urine-testing witch hunt to see what metabolites are in all workers' urine is one of the most disturbing violations of human rights that is tolerated in so-called civilised nations.

it seems to be accepted and increasingly widespread in the united states.
what it says is that you're not allowed to be employed and contribute to society if you happen to enjoy substances that are not part of the accepted few (tobacco, alcohol, big pharma mandated medical prescriptions). even if you're an otherwise responsible, law abiding citizen, you're suddenly a criminal; shunned and outed to the world.

australians should not welcome the creeping acceptance of workplace drug testing.
it creates an underclass of people - it says "if you take drugs you are not allowed to belong (to eat, clothe, support yourself by earning an honest living) in our society whether you are a functioning, responsible, contributing member or not".
smoke your ciggies, drink your booze - hell, take these anti-depressants or sleeping pills - but don't you dare consume the 'shunned substances' or you yourself shall be shunned. then you're going to have to steal, deal or scam to keep a roof above your head, to feed your family and/or feed your habit.
no compassion, no help - just a scolding nanny state/police state. suddenly you are pushed to commit real crime - and then the police have a reason to exist. the self-serving industry of prohibition - you need a police force to save you from the laid-off office workers who got caught with a bit of cannabis in their systems and are forced to commit property crimes to survive.

the drug war really is a war. the victims are virtually all innocent civilians.

now, to further politicise this rant, i will say that the only way we will be able to save ourselves from this fate (because everyone knows we follow every american folly - especially those proven to fail) is to have strong workplace regulation in favour of the workers.

they'll tell you that we need to change workplace rights to make australia more competitive in the global economy or some shit. they'll erode our rights any way they can - and this is one of them. they'll tell you that the poor little fragile, vulnerable employers can't afford to give us protection. it's protection or jobs, they'll say - your choice, folks.

they've done it before, they'll do it again and they'll keep trying at any given opportunity.
eroding workplace rights means that more employers are able to "screen their workforce" this way. don't be fooled by the major party politicians - they'll sell our rights up before we even realise what they are. they're bankrolled by the same people that test your piss before they'll let you scrub their toilet, and they reckon it's a pretty good system. obviously the corporate donors have more influence than you or i.

it's fucked and we shouldn't stand for it. not even implicitly - fuck the drug war. they want to buy our rights with supposedly good salaries. they want us to accept that kind of shit - and once we accept it, it's good enough for everyone.

if you want my piss, you can fucking well piss off.

[end rant]
 
spacejunk said:
yeah, but what's missing here is the very realistic option of being employed in an industry that doesn't drug test.
in australia, at least, this is still a possibility for most of us. it's not something we should be resigned to - in fact, it's what the propaganda machine wants you to think:
"if you take drugs you will have no job, no earnings, no material possessions, no love, no support"

i'm a functioning drug addict with a full-time job and an amazingly loving relationship. i'm sure i'm not alone, either. i'm not rich but i'm pretty happy with how much i earn.

when people say things along the lines of "i'd quit drugs for a really high paying job" i think...well, some prostitutes earn a hell of lot of money too, but there are some compromises i'm not willing to make for more money.

i know a lot of people benefit greatly from working for mining companies or whatever institutions implement drug mandatory drug testing. set themselves up for life and all that.
and for many, many folk, passing a drug test requires absolutely no effort - not a second thought.
and good luck to 'em. good for them.
it's great that some kids are on the straight-and-narrow. not my bag, but who am i to judge? ;)

thing is, i'm not prepared to give my wonderful lifestyle up for any amount of money. my choice to have drug-infused piss is not for sale!
you get drug tested by the mining companies even if you scrub their toilets or work in their city offices thousands of kilometres from a mine site. fuck that.

the thing mandatory drug testing in employment does is cast out all of the people that are otherwise able to work just fine with drugs in their system.
it is really fucking cold and unethical. it means people end up unemployed, ostracised, on their own.

sure, people who operate heavy machinery or make life-or-death decisions shouldn't be high on drugs at work. that makes sense, fair enough. if you work in a position that could threaten your life or the lives of others if you are impaired, then you should be sober.

but this idea that it is ok to implement a urine-testing witch hunt to see what metabolites are in all workers' urine is one of the most disturbing violations of human rights that is tolerated in so-called civilised nations.

it seems to be accepted and increasingly widespread in the united states.
what it says is that you're not allowed to be employed and contribute to society if you happen to enjoy substances that are not part of the accepted few (tobacco, alcohol, big pharma mandated medical prescriptions). even if you're an otherwise responsible, law abiding citizen, you're suddenly a criminal; shunned and outed to the world.

australians should not welcome the creeping acceptance of workplace drug testing.
it creates an underclass of people - it says "if you take drugs you are not allowed to belong (to eat, clothe, support yourself by earning an honest living) in our society whether you are a functioning, responsible, contributing member or not".
smoke your ciggies, drink your booze - hell, take these anti-depressants or sleeping pills - but don't you dare consume the 'shunned substances' or you yourself shall be shunned. then you're going to have to steal, deal or scam to keep a roof above your head, to feed your family and/or feed your habit.
no compassion, no help - just a scolding nanny state/police state. suddenly you are pushed to commit real crime - and then the police have a reason to exist. the self-serving industry of prohibition - you need a police force to save you from the laid-off office workers who got caught with a bit of cannabis in their systems and are forced to commit property crimes to survive.

the drug war really is a war. the victims are virtually all innocent civilians.

now, to further politicise this rant, i will say that the only way we will be able to save ourselves from this fate (because everyone knows we follow every american folly - especially those proven to fail) is to have strong workplace regulation in favour of the workers.

they'll tell you that we need to change workplace rights to make australia more competitive in the global economy or some shit. they'll erode our rights any way they can - and this is one of them. they'll tell you that the poor little fragile, vulnerable employers can't afford to give us protection. it's protection or jobs, they'll say - your choice, folks.

they've done it before, they'll do it again and they'll keep trying at any given opportunity.
eroding workplace rights means that more employers are able to "screen their workforce" this way. don't be fooled by the major party politicians - they'll sell our rights up before we even realise what they are. they're bankrolled by the same people that test your piss before they'll let you scrub their toilet, and they reckon it's a pretty good system. obviously the corporate donors have more influence than you or i.

it's fucked and we shouldn't stand for it. not even implicitly - fuck the drug war. they want to buy our rights with supposedly good salaries. they want us to accept that kind of shit - and once we accept it, it's good enough for everyone.

if you want my piss, you can fucking well piss off.

[end rant]
Click to expand...
A lot of people doing things such as cleaning toilets actually NEED to take something so they can get through the day. Truckers take speed so they dont fall asleep at the wheel and cause a 25 car pileup, janitors (not all ofcourse) need something so they can do their job and not cut their wrists when they look at themselves in a mirror!

I agree with you that if you have a job in which you hold someones life or ur own in your hands you SHOULD be sober...it goes without saying really. Then again more and more doctors are getting hooked on stuff like Morphine =/
 
I'd quit the drugs or find substances that are not tested for in your average field test kit. If you had issues with quitting/withdrawing then I'd see a GP. Never go to work high!!! It's obvious if your stoned of your head or speeding away and people will pick up on this. Does not look good on a CV "Fired for being high on the job." I have quit almost all drugs for my work or use alternatives that are mosly unknown or legal. An example pot/benzo's vs Kava Kava, Valarium, Casimiora etc. I would not use valarium, kava kava or casimiora for any extended period and rotate between them ie Kava kava 1 day nothing for a few days casimiora 2 days etc. In the economic climate we live in it's kinda hard not to chose the opportunities afforded by work. Alternatively you could just get the dole, have fuck all money for anything (including drugs) and waste the opportunities you may have. The third alternate is to withdraw from society and live in a hippy community, which would be ok if your able to be self sufficient in every aspect of your life, including supplying yourself with drugs.
 
Sometimes the job introduce legislation, and you have to make the call to stay or go.

I'm going, it's an Ok job, but I'm getting bored anyways, time to try sommat else.
 
If it came down to actually progressing on a career path (moving into management) or drugs I'd cut the (mainstream/ test able) drugs in a heartbeat..

As it is now I'm having to carefully monitor myself so I don't shoot myself in the foot if I do progress into management.. especially with sickies/terrible Tuesday..

However if I were to continue being a mindless peon I'll continue my drug taking because if i get tested/fuck up its easy enough to find another job
 
Apart from when I had a benzo addiction, I compartmentalize my career and drug use pretty well. If I feel shit the next day at work because I indulged when I shouldn't have? It's just like a hangover - I fucking deal with it and I do my job because I want money and I want to get to the top of my field.
 
yeah, i feel the same way mr blonde.
i guess this is why i feel so passionately that if people are competently doing their job, they shouldn't be randomly tested unless they work in a position that would pose a big safety risk if they were to be on drugs. operating heavy machinery being the classic.
if your use is causing you to be an unreliable worker, this would be an alarm bell to most of us that there is a problem.

in this situation i would reassess my drug use, seek counselling or something along those lines. maybe take a break (from using).
there is something tragic about the idea of choosing between drug use and employment - the kind of "tough love" nonsense the War on Drugs is based on. employment is something that makes us feel like worthwhile human beings, having that taken away for something as minor as a failed drug test (without problems with performance) is an indignity that would only make people slide deeper into problematic use.
i'm very thankful that my career path is more respectful to my privacy than some others.
 
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