> And despite what the article connotes, most people in tech are not using illegal drugs frequently or ever.
I don't think the article suggests most tech workers are doing this, but I think you'd be surprised at the amount that are. Bear in mind that in an office environment, it's hard to tell who is a user and who isn't. I'm a heroin addict, but I don't have 'Junkie' tattooed on my forehead, instead I work at a startup, commit code to GitHub, and go to conferences just like everyone else. I would also agree that it's a problem, and for one other reason that I think the article missed.
If you're unemployed or working a low-end job, and want to quit an addiction, nobody cares if you disappear for a month to detox at a friends house out of town, or something like that. With a tech job, perhaps in a startup or other stressful environment, the responsibilities and pressures that come with it mean you can't just stop. You need the drugs to stay functional and keep working, there are people and businesses relying on your output. For example, if I were just to stop taking heroin now, then withdrawl means I couldn't work for quite some time, maybe a month or two, and there's no way I can just drop all my projects like that. So if you stop taking drugs you'll lose your job, or worse - word might get around that you ended up in rehab, and no more working in the industry...
So it's a little more complicated than they make out.
I don't think the article suggests most tech workers are doing this, but I think you'd be surprised at the amount that are. Bear in mind that in an office environment, it's hard to tell who is a user and who isn't. I'm a heroin addict, but I don't have 'Junkie' tattooed on my forehead, instead I work at a startup, commit code to GitHub, and go to conferences just like everyone else. I would also agree that it's a problem, and for one other reason that I think the article missed.
If you're unemployed or working a low-end job, and want to quit an addiction, nobody cares if you disappear for a month to detox at a friends house out of town, or something like that. With a tech job, perhaps in a startup or other stressful environment, the responsibilities and pressures that come with it mean you can't just stop. You need the drugs to stay functional and keep working, there are people and businesses relying on your output. For example, if I were just to stop taking heroin now, then withdrawl means I couldn't work for quite some time, maybe a month or two, and there's no way I can just drop all my projects like that. So if you stop taking drugs you'll lose your job, or worse - word might get around that you ended up in rehab, and no more working in the industry...
So it's a little more complicated than they make out.