When I used meth only over the weekends and stopped smoking it by early afternoon, I always found my concentration at work output extremely elevated on Mondays, often putting on 16 hour shifts.
After a few unfortunate experiences in a short period of time, I soon found myself using meth as a coping mechanism and in a very short period of time I was taking it not only through the week, but sleeping only around 3 times a week.
My work didn't suffer so much as my mental state. I was often battling the crystal psychosis, thinking that work was monitoring my every move on my computer. Being a programmer, I then spent the next 3 days writting a piece of software that would alert me if any monitoring was occuring.
Over the next 3 months my usage increased to around 1.5 grams a week, causing frequent absence from work, not because I couldn't work, but because I just looked to wired to go out in public. Looking in the mirror was scary. I had it in my head though that if I worked from home when on sick leave, work would be ok with my absence. I also was so creative with sick excuses or just any excuse for that matter.
Once I called in saying I had a burst water pipe and had to wait for the plumber. I just sat at home all day smoking my pipe. When I met up with a co-worker a few months ago, he asked if all the water damage had been repaired! I explained I had made it all up and he just smiled and said that would have been the only believable excuse I called in with.
Another day I called in saying my back was in spasms and a friend was coming over to take me to hospital. My back was in pain but only from being awake for 3 days, so i went to the drs to get a note, and he also gave me valium, tremmel, and a note indicating I would be unfit for work for 2 days! When I returned to work I popped 2 valiums and 2 tremels with breakfast so work would believe me...I slept the whole day at my computer.
The funny thing is that I realised I needed to leave that job quickly and I needed to resign with a reference so finding a new job wouldn't be difficult. This came about when I realised I wasn't being assigned to any new projects, asked to be the technical advisor during meetings with sr managment and being given meanial tasks which due to bordom and a sense of me being better than this increased my error rate which was used as a factor for involving HR with disciplinary action. I knew the date of reconing was quickly approaching so after a weekend of 2 nights sleep I went into work on the monday and asked if I could give 8 weeks notice instead of the usual 4. I explained that I would hand in my resignation that day if the 8 week period was approved.
They never got back to me that day, so I went home, called in sick on Tuesday and then got fired on the wednesday. But for some reason, and friends have confirmed this, they payed me way more than my entitled annual leave and 2 weeks payment in lieu of notice usually given when an employee was fired. I had around 2.5 weeks of annual leave given to me, and over 6 weeks pay in lieu of notice, all when only being employed by the company for less than 2 years.
Due to the crystal addiction I lost my job and career. I now find myself being rejected for positions I was once head hunted for.
I've relegated myself to the fact that when I re-enter the work force, I will be earning approx 50-60% of what I was previously earning and will have to once again fight my way to the top.
What I had in my head as a 'this one time won't cause any harm' turned out to be one of the most harmful things I have ever done.
Work and play rarely mix, that's what makes play time so much more enjoyable.
