Functional addicts- have you ever known one?

[Irongrip400]

How do you think they afford their drugs? I have three dudes who are "addicted" to weed. Spend all their money on it. Had one coke head who worked his ass off, but blew all of his money on injectable or smoked cocaine.

[TigerStripes]

Many many many potheads are extremely successful.

It's not even rare at all.

It's the hard drugs and alcohol that fuck people up.

[deadpan]

i know tons, hell my weed dealer got better grades in college than i did and he smoked grams of the shit a day. hell most recreational drug users i know are much smarter and more interesting people than all the quaint, straight laced old farts sitting on their high horses talking about how "drugs are bad kids" while they drink their beer and smoke their cigs.

i really think we need some perspective. no substance is "evil", it's what people do with it. it's all propaganda. plus i don't really think it's that hard to classify yourself as "functional", hell i'd even go so far as to say that most drug users are functional. people always think of this image of junkies living on the street sharing needles, but those people are more the minority. it's true that drugs can have a negative effect on one's life but most people catch themselves before they hit rock bottom, imo.

[deadpan]

I would assume that many of these folks would like to stop using if they could, but I agree not "total losers" or "bad people" they just got caught in addiction and can't get out on their own.  Still, for those folks that want to stop using that have high visibility at their workplaces it has to be hard to quietly break the addiction.   Everywhere I've ever worked is the same....you're blood or urine comes back dirty and you're done.  You get help on your own time and your own dime cause at work you work and a drug addiction that might interefere with performance isn't tolerated.  I wonder how many large corporations offer counciling and drug abuse assistance for employees that desire to quit?

wouldn't it be nice if we lived in a world were people were hired and fired based on their productiveness at work and not what they do in their off-time in the privacy of their own homes?

[hardgainerj]

I learnt today that an old mate's father died a few months ago.

He was what you would call a "functional addict". A long term heroin-user (for more than two decades probably far longer) who had a responsible, high paying job in the City of London. A few years ago his company started doing piss tests and he was caught out. He was given a few chances but eventually they sacked him. He had serious problems finding another job and probably spiralled further down into addiction.

It makes me wonder how some people manage to hold down white collar jobs and maintain an addiction to hard drugs.

Do you know any? How do they cope?

isnt wiggs addicted to masturbating?

[Psychopath]

isnt wiggs addicted to masturbating?

NO, that's BMC. Wiggs like to shoot solo scenes on webcam.

[jaejonna]

hahah functional addicts...you mean 'friends' ?

[sarahdunlap]

Yep, all of us seem to be addicts to something.   caffeine, weed, ciggs, wine, or harder stuff. 

I know one woman who does coke exactly 3 times a day.  upon waking, after work, and before bed, amazingly.  That's it.  Has done this for 15 or 20 years.  Successful at business, great mom, martial arts, all that... just seems like a regular person plugging away.  Bumps every day for years. 

Probably just as many BBers living on ECA.  Musicians who can't touch a guitar without some pot in the car and a jack/coke.  It is what it is.  Back in the caveman days, ppl were probably eating fields of poppies then fcking sheep with reckless abandon, so hey, who are we to judge.

Simply cool quote BUMP

[bigmc]

ive met a lot of what are called functional addicts

but never an old one

[sync pulse]

It makes me wonder how some people manage to hold down white collar jobs and maintain an addiction to hard drugs.

Do you know any? How do they cope?

A famous one was George Grossmith...

[whitewidow]

Yes I know many functional drug addicts. some even IFBB Pros. If you use a drug for years eventually all the drug does is make you feel normal.

[gracie bjj]

its not very hard to keep a job,go to gym and be a husband n father while on some sort of drug, ive been doing it for 25 yrs now it also depends alot on the persons motivation,some people smoke a joint or do some opiates n fall asleep, some people like myself can take care of my responsabilities n be fine. i must admit though i couldnt handle the cocaine usage, it was causing alot of problems with my marraige,job,freindships ect so i eliminated it from my life

[gracie bjj]

wouldn't it be nice if we lived in a world were people were hired and fired based on their productiveness at work and not what they do in their off-time in the privacy of their own homes?

agreed

[monopoly19]

Yes.

My friend and a majority owner at the company I used to work for. BAD addiction with pain pills. I'm talking 30 to 40 percs or vicoden a day. He would swallow 10 of them in the morning with his coffee, it was scary.

He did get sober on his own, I have to give him credit. Very strong willed guy.

[Raymondo]

ive met a lot of what are called functional addicts

but never an old one

bigmc straight to the point

[bigmc]

bigmc straight to the point

its true

especially heroin addicts

that shit will get you in the end

i dont agree with sacking people because of addiction though if he could still do his job properly surely thats what matters

[Raymondo]

its true

especially heroin addicts

that shit will get you in the end

i dont agree with sacking people because of addiction though if he could still do his job properly surely thats what matters

He was good at his job but at the same time he was responsible for making sure big industrial installations were safe (I think). Ironic as fuck.

[bigmc]

He was good at his job but at the same time he was responsible for making sure big industrial installations were safe (I think). Ironic as fuck.

piss testing is creeping in every where in the uk

if you sub contract to national grid you have to have your guys piss tested

i dont give a fuck what my staff do as long as they turn up for work sober and ready to go

what they do in their own time is none of my business

[deceiver]

Well I know a lot of functional addicts in Poland. There are even more of them in Russia I guess. But it's just different culture.

[Raymondo]

piss testing is creeping in every where in the uk

if you sub contract to national grid you have to have your guys piss tested

i dont give a fuck what my staff do as long as they turn up for work sober and ready to go

what they do in their own time is none of my business

It wasn't that bad they tested a guy in his position... Imagine if he turns up shaking with withdrawals and fucks up and people get hurt.

No, what's interesting is they gave him a few weeks' time to kick an addiction going back more than twenty years. Then another piss test, then the sack. No redudancy pay, no nothing.

I don't think you could take this even near to an employment tribunal yet something about it strikes me as unfair.

[bigmc]

It wasn't that bad they tested a guy in his position... Imagine if he turns up shaking with withdrawals and fucks up and people get hurt.

No, what's interesting is they gave him a few weeks' time to kick an addiction going back more than twenty years. Then another piss test, then the sack. No redudancy pay, no nothing.

I don't think you could take this even near to an employment tribunal yet something about it strikes me as unfair.

they should have put him in a programme

and managed him through the addiction

a good support network and a light at the end of the tunnel

in this case hanging on to his job

might of got him through it

he would have had no chance at a tribunal i would imagine they had a robust drug use policy that all staff would be aware of

[irishdave]

its true

especially heroin addicts

that shit will get you in the end

i dont agree with sacking people because of addiction though if he could still do his job properly surely thats what matters

I know of a guy who had a leg amputated years ago cos of heroin addiction. The second one was taken off below the knee a few months ago. Wasn't a very productive person anyhow

[Parker]

I know of a guy who had a leg amputated years ago cos of heroin addiction. The second one was taken off below the knee a few months ago. Wasn't a very productive person anyhow

ever heard of a person who has had "phantom leg pain" due to a amputation over 10 yrs ago? And take pain meds for it? Which is the excuse for their "addiction".

[irishdave]

ever heard of a person who has had "phantom leg pain" due to a amputation over 10 yrs ago? And take pain meds for it? Which is the excuse for their "addiction".

This guy would not be an upstanding citizen by any shout.
I thought he was injecting in his feet and got infections and such? Heroin is REALLY bad in Dublin, junkies have been known to shoot up on the public buses midday, they'd take off their sock and stick it in their toe

[arce1988]

  What do you call Judges that drink 750ml of Alcohol per day? They try cases all day long drunk. Functional? Same with Police.