Drug Use Among Programmers

GrokSoup sent us a story that talks about Drug use amongst programmers. The article talks about the high tech industry, stress, and stimulants (the big ones like Cocaine and Crack, not the wussy stuff like caffeine :)

Comments

This article is typical anti-drug FUD

[Anonymous Coward]

It's the usual War on Drugs (WoD) scare-tactic propoganda. Hint: you can spot it when they talk about the general category of "drugs" without differentiating among them, and without acknowledging that many drugs are socially acceptable (caffeine, alcohol, aspirin, meds). Recreational drugs are all different, have different cultures around them, and it's deceitful and dangerous to make blanket statements about all of them.

I know many many people (including many programmers) who celebrate their use of pot, psychedelics, and Ecstasy, but virtually none who use crack, heroin, or even cocaine on a regular basis.

Starting in college, there was always a faction of the programmers who partied hard, including lots of recreational drug use, especially psychedelics. They weren't stupid about it either; they were careful.

One friend who hardly uses any drugs swears she's a better programmer after smoking pot, because she can picture elaborate and intricate structures better. And she is definitely a talented programmer. (I can picture elaborate things when I'm using psychedelics, but I can't keep my attention span long enough to code it in.)

There are so many problems with this article, I don't know where to start. I just scrolled my browser to a random screenful:

• "We found regular users who were clinically depressed at some stage during the week," Dr Curran said. "Ecstasy makes your brain spill out huge levels of serotonin, the feel-good hormone, and the brain has to work really hard to get it back."

  This interpretation is skewed to fit their desired conclusions. Quite possibly, many people take Ecstasy in the first place to relieve depression. I know it helped me a great deal when I was younger and dealing with severe and depressing loneliness. It gave me the first glimpse of "life can be worth living".

• They lump ecstasy and cocaine together, as if they're similar cultures. Hel-lo? Big difference.

• "If you give four doses of ecstasy to a monkey it still has brain damage two years later," she said.

  Nothing quantified here, just ominous-sounding words. How much brain damage? More than a beer? Brain cells don't regenerate, so *you* still have a teensy bit of brain damage from your first beer. And giving four HUMAN doses to a little monkey is extremely excessive; no educated drug user would take that kind of relative dose.

• "When it comes to the health issues, people poo-poo all the information pushed at them."

  They poo-poo information from articles like this, whose main function is to scare rather than educate. Smart drug users take real information very seriously, but can usually spot propoganda.

  If we had true dug education, young people would have far fewer problems with drugs. For starters, they would know to stick to the good and non-addictive ones. But since our government is saying "all drugs are bad", which the kids know to be absurd (if they've ever smoked a joint), they don't think there will be any problem with PHP or crack.

OK, that's half a screenful and it's already too long, so I'll stop now.

I take certain recreational drugs not to "escape" or to "cope", but because they enhance my life in many wonderful and insightful ways. And yes, to improve my relationships with other people. I have strong bonds with many of my lifelong friends, enhanced by various drug experiences.

(I'm anonymous here, until our society gets a lick of sense about this stupid anti-drug thing.)

God not required!

[the red pen]

Welcome, fellow smug anti-drug... er... person! I never meant to imply that religion was required to fit in this category! No siree "Bob"! Sorry about the confusion.

No, all that's required it to make judgemental, sweeping statements about experiences you haven't had. For example:

• I think drugs ... are ... an attempt to avoid reality because it 'feels good' to do so.

Now, you can't get in the club unless you openly admit you don't know what you're talking about.

• I don't even drink alchohol, except when I take cold medicine. The strongest thing I 'do' is Mt. Dew.

Attaboy!

• "I'll tell you something honestly about drugs. Honestly - and I know it's not a very popular idea. You don't hear it very often any more. But it is the truth: I had a great time doing drugs. Never murdered anyone, never robbed anyone, never raped anyone, never beat anyone, never lost a job, a car, a house, a wife, or kids. Laughed my ass off, and went about my day."
  - Bill Hicks

I am a smug anti-drug moron

[the red pen]

Although I have no relevant experience with drugs, never having taken them, I feel compelled to indict all those who do use drugs. Despite the fact that all of my information about drugs is either anecdotal or based on biased, often wildly inaccurate propaganda, I think I am completely qualified to label all those who use drugs as unworthy of the full-human status that I claim just for having a beating heart (pumping squeaky-clean blood, no less!)

The boundaries of my experience are the boundaries of a complete and all-encompassing experience. Anything outside of my experience must suck because I haven't deemed it worthy of my effort. Or it's too scary.

I'm not perfect. However, any flaw I do have is fixed by an invisible, magical being to whom I devote a great deal of time and energy. If people would believe that this magical being would fix their lives, they wouldn't be druggy losers.