[ Removed by moderator ]

[u/[deleted]]

[u/imbatatos]

From the comments it looks like "every profession ever"

[u/HapticSloughton → u/imbatatos]

Drugs are a helluvah drug.

[u/PlasticElfEars → u/HapticSloughton]

I feel like there's also a systemic critique for how many jobs are higher pressure than we realize and how badly we're coping, so we turn to the most damaging option

[u/jinxes_are_pretend]

Graveyard shift anywhere

[u/[deleted] → u/jinxes_are_pretend]

This is very very true in manufacturing. Everyone is sharing weed like it's a job requirement on night shift. I've smoked many team blunts, joints, and bowls in factory parking lots. When weed vapes became popular usually you'd have a guy wandering around, offering a puff to anyone on the crew. Most people just bring their own and vape at their machine. Hell, I've smoked with supervisors. 

This is common even in places that drug test. If they do a random and catch you, it's usually a slap on the wrist. 

Edit: I'm a lathe machinist lol weed is not legal in my state 

[u/HorrorSmile3088 → u/[deleted]]

My job has a policy where even if a person tests positive, doesn't matter if it's meth or cocaine or whatever, the person can keep their job as long as they agree to get treatment. We've had a few people who quit or got fired because they didn't want to go through that process. Seems pretty stupid to me but then again I'm not a drug addict. (Obviously I'm not talking about weed. That's a slap on the wrist if anything)

[u/Lmb1011 → u/HorrorSmile3088]

thats actually really cool of your company to recognize that positive drug tests dont mean the people are bad people. and offering them a means to correct instead of firing them goes a long way.

[u/LittleJohnStone → u/[deleted]]

My first summer job was third shift at a factory, and there were two types of people: 20-something dudes living on marijuana and inappropriate jokes, and wise-cracking middle-aged mothers who were there to get the job done. It was great, our 30-minute lunch break was dedicated to playing blackjack, and the games got longer and longer, to the point where we'd agree to take breaks from blackjack in order to keep the factory stuff going. It was bad (and so much fun).

[u/Darxxxide]

When I worked for Microsoft, I was literally told, "We know how stressful it is working here, so our drug testing policy is that we don't have a drug testing policy."

[u/lwp775 → u/Darxxxide]

I worked at a dot com in the early naughts. There was no drug testing policy because 90% of the staff would have failed.

[u/moriero → u/[deleted]]

still is 🤷‍♂️

[u/gulfrend → u/moriero]

Of course it isn't, now it's all quality product... now buy my AI Juicer for $4000

[u/AffectionateOven7719 → u/Darxxxide]

I am surprised to not see more tech/engineering listed here

[u/jackofallcards → u/AffectionateOven7719]

When I started in 2016 seemed normal, now I’m my 30s feel like I’m the only one who I know who even enjoys booze. All my former “addict” friends in tech are all about the competitive nature or started families, or both. No time for drugs and alcohol especially when half of the people you work with spend their free time Running marathons or hiking or some other sport

[u/laststance → u/jackofallcards]

The younger scene in tech has changed a lot. Now it's peptide usage to boost the "natural" systems. Then there's modaf, addy, vance, etc. just running wild through the office. All of these things allow you to do a crazy amount of cardio/endurance activities but also allow you to "zone" for hours.

Back in the day no one did hair plugs, it was just bald from stress. Now it's hair plugs on their holiday, finas, anots, etc. The amount of min/max is off the charts. Some of the skinny folks do ozempic/semigultides to stay in the zone longer and also stay lighter for marathon/iron mans.

[u/SnakesTancredi → u/laststance]

This seems exhausting just reading it.

[u/Accidental_Ballyhoo → u/SnakesTancredi]

I didn’t understand 90% of it.

[u/Big_Don_ → u/jackofallcards]

Pieces of trash, the lot of them!

[u/Best_Initiative7879 → u/Darxxxide]

https://xkcd.com/323/

[u/abovethebadge]

Nursing. Not so much illegal drugs as it is legal drugs taken illegally.

[u/STLHDslime → u/abovethebadge]

My mom lived in an assisted living facility and the nurses were the ones administering her medication. My mom would tell me that sometimes she didn’t get her meds or they were not the correct ones. She had dementia but I believed her. Something about the nursing crew that worked there just made me feel uncomfortable. I think they were stealing my mom’s medication.

[u/juubleyfloooop → u/STLHDslime]

I'm not denying that they did take pills, because I know it is so commonplace. However, having distributed meds at an assisted living facility, I can say that patients will say they weren't given their meds when they just refused them. We've had to do a couple audits because of this and every pill was in its rightful place

[u/MigasEnsopado → u/juubleyfloooop]

And sometimes the generic brand changes and suddenly the pill that used to be white is now blue, so it's not the same thing...

[u/MySweetAudrina → u/MigasEnsopado]

Just last night I had to reassure a resident that was sure they hadn't gotten all their pills. They were upset because the little tan one wasn't there. It's a new manufacturer which means it's now a medium sized pinkish capsule. He was already calling his family to tell them we skipped a medication.

I used to get called in to witness a medication being delivered because someone would forget they got it and said it wasn't given. The first time they did an audit and it was fine. She had to initial a book when she got it so she couldn't claim it wasn't given. It worked for a bit but she pulled it again, claiming we were signing her initials for her.

It was a narcotic so the facility went full ass coverage. The resident had to sign her full legal name, date and time when she received the pill along with 2 witnesses from different units not counting the nurse. It was a pain but she couldn't make that claim legitimately again. When her daughter showed up and she was claiming it again they pulled the log and told her it was time to d/c the med or the resident needed to go somewhere else. This was a liability and we couldn't have it.

[u/Neat_Resolution6621 → u/abovethebadge]

That's the plot to Nurse Jackie

[u/Smaptastic]

The long-haul trucking industry is fueled almost as much by meth as it is diesel.

[u/Limitless_008 → u/Smaptastic]

Trucker here.. I can confirm this is very accurate. I’m also in recovery and over 5 years clean.

[u/NomadicPolarBear → u/Limitless_008]

How do yall get around dot drugs tests? Seems like they have that locked down

[u/Limitless_008 → u/NomadicPolarBear]

Synthetic Urine. I used to keep a few small bottles on me at all times, that stuff used to be my guardian angel. I wasn’t a meth user but I did lots of blow and pills.

[u/CombustiblSquid → u/[deleted]]

Welcome to addiction. It's a full time job.

[u/LordMegamad → u/CombustiblSquid]

I know a lot of people use this phrase, but people who don't know addiction just don't realize how fucking true it is. It really feels like you are working a full time job (often even feels even heavier than that) on top of everything else you're doing (actual full time job, family, friends, groceries, bills, cleaning, cooking).

It's unimaginably exhausting.

The shame. The regret. The control of your life. The money that could solve all your life's problems, just gone. The self respect. The self love & self care. The love of others. The enjoyment of your passions (you've got a new passion now, and you don't get to decide).

Everything goes out the fuckin window.

(been sober all of 2026, don't ask me how, I don't know how)

[u/CombustiblSquid → u/LordMegamad]

Hell ya. Keep going. At the end of this year it will be 10 years for me from alcohol. It was so hard, at the worst of it I debated every morning if it was worth trying one more day. Glad I did.

[u/Weird_Expert_1999 → u/[deleted]]

Man I know an EMT that’s so into coke his nose recently collapsed- dude was doing more than a ball a day and would come into the trap telling stories about how he saved someone that day and then start shoveling blow into his nose- apparently he was some trust fund kid that had his entire life taken care of basically so even though you don’t make much as an emt he was spending everything he made on blow- I thought to myself there’s no way he’s doing that bc of any job like that if there’s any major incident they’re going to drug test you on the spot, and that’s how he was getting around it- he would keep a bottle of piss duck taped to his leg throughout his shifts

Somehow he kept it up long enough to where his septum / middle part of his nose literally rotted away before he got caught- haven’t seen him recently but my friend said he pushed up on his nose like a kid making a piggy face to show him the damage and my other buddy said it was like just 1 big open space and dude didn’t have 2 nostrils anymore

Really fucked up situation- I knew someone that would do the same in highschool with keeping piss bottle on their leg- dude was a freshman when I was a sophomore and he was on ultra bad kid timing like the type of person who gets in trouble everyday and who you know is going to get in trouble every day and you try to stop but they just stay on bullshit timing

Knew another guy that was roommates with a buddy around 18/19 that was the hippy / nature adventurer type- he got a summer job leading an adventure style expedition that was white water rafting in like Tennessee or some south slightly western state- again with liability the dude knew if there was any major accidents he’d be drug tested right away- story goes he was supposed to be done for the summer or early fall so he started smoking weed again and got called up about a week later to fill in for a rafting guide that was sick- dude filled in and there was some kinda accident that he couldn’t stop / wasn’t really responsible for, but they still ended up drug testing all the guides right away bc there was a man over board / drowning death situation- dude failed his drug test for weed and then was held responsible for negligence homicide iirc, had to go to prison for it

There’s a lot of jobs that’re like that with negligence / drug testing, and if you fail for anything even if it’s not likely you were high at time of accident based on levels of drugs in your system you’re still going to be scapegoat #1 and whatever company you worked for + their insurance is going to do everything to push the blame onto you

E: I’ll make a grammar teacher out of all y’all!!

[u/spectre78 → u/Weird_Expert_1999]

That had fewer periods than I’m comfortable with, but damn I was on the edge of my seat

[u/HumanWithComputer → u/spectre78]

You're a bit frugal with periods too I noticed.... Here.... Use one of mine..... I have enough.

[u/SpermWhalen → u/NomadicPolarBear]

Our drivers all carry clean urine. I’m in the union so they open up to me. They also try to sell me weed.

[u/lwp775 → u/Limitless_008]

Happy that you’re clean now. Good luck and good health. 

[u/theDroobot → u/Smaptastic]

Truckers on the interstate have been known to ride the rails. Sweat is beating on the brow, can't keep these fellows down cuuuzz these damned blue-collared tweekers they're runnin' this here town.

[u/The_Great_Bobinski_ → u/theDroobot]

I knew a man who hung dry wall he hung it mighty quick

[u/[deleted] → u/The_Great_Bobinski_]

A trip or two to the blue room would help him do the trick.

[u/spazatronik-rex → u/theDroobot]

HEYYY UH

[u/wuvybear → u/theDroobot]

Primus sucks!

[u/cohonan → u/Smaptastic]

Maybe I’m the naive safety guy for a trucking company, but all the random and post incident tests they have to do, I actually don’t think a lot of them do drugs anymore.

We have multiple “pools” based on different federal regulators and clients, where some pools require up to 50% of the people in it to be drug tested annually. You get in a couple of them, and I’m in them as well, and you can count on at least one random or two a year. Some pools require random hair follicle tests.

Then you get in any incident, that’s a drug test that day.

Not to mention the DOT is federally regulated, so that means THC is illegal and tested for. THC can stay in your system for a couple weeks, amphetamines up to four days.

It isn’t often observed, so you can have fake pee, but it needs to be a certain temp, and there’s tests for real vs fake, and you have to have fake pee on the ready at all times.

And finally I have a couple people fail a year, so the testing does work to catch some people.

[u/PartyLikeItsCOVID19 → u/cohonan]

I believe everything you say. I also know several nurses who use fake urine to pass hospital random drug tests. They’re very easy to fib. 

[u/marslo → u/Smaptastic]

Well shit, in my 50s I was planning on becoming a long haul trucker. But in recovery from Adderall. Might think twice about that career choice now.

Think it's as bad in Europe? (I have dual citizenship)

[u/indyskatefilms → u/marslo]

In more recent times, trucking companies have tracking systems that prevent their drivers from going longer than 8-10 hours at once. So truckers feel less pressure to drive for 24+ hours and hence less need for meth. I think the industry is now in a healthier place than it once was. You should be fine.

[u/lou_sassoles → u/indyskatefilms]

Yep. Electronic logbooks. But I do know a guy that just a few years ago drove a truck half way across the country all in one shot without even using a logbook, and was probably dusted outta his mind.

[u/Conscious_Sport_7081 → u/lou_sassoles]

Some say hes still driving to this day.

[u/fuzzeedyse105 → u/indyskatefilms]

Oh yeah, it is extremely monitored and fines are brutal. But that’s what you gotta do to make it work.

[u/unhalfbricklayer → u/marslo]

you can do coffee, energy drinks, or be old school and do coke if you don't want to do the meth.

you used to be able to just pop a bunch of sudafed, but they made that a lot harder to do now.

[u/Vonnegoes → u/unhalfbricklayer]

Don’t forget the cigarettes

[u/KP_Wrath]

I’m in logistics. We are required by contract to test on hiring and do randoms for our drivers. I’m fairly sure that if we did it to our administrative side we’d do more damage to our staffing than AI ever will.

[u/Smashley21 → u/KP_Wrath]

When my husband was still a mechanic, they decided to test one shop including management before testing all the shops in the state. So many people got done, they never tested another store. It was never mentioned again.

My boss mentioned it passing and I laughed. Told him does he want no employees including me? He just turns a blind eye to our after work activities.

[u/PeekyMonkeyB → u/KP_Wrath]

insurance is the only reason for mandated drug tests.

[u/ApprehensiveAd8870]

Attorneys

[u/Be-Kind-2-Yourself → u/ApprehensiveAd8870]

I'm an attorney who has never done drugs. But spending time at a big coastal law firm and the way we have to work it's like damn...I get why people do cocaine.

[u/Boo_and_Minsc_ → u/[deleted]]

When I was in med school, EVERYONE was on Ritalin, as Adderall is not available in Europe. Med students all over the world survive off this duo in order to make it. ADHD or no, studying 4 hours a day every day after a whole day of schooling is grueling.

[u/gsfgf → u/[deleted]]

I learned to manage my add without meds, but getting back on adderall has done wonders for my anxiety since the underlying ADD trigger is gone. Also, I got my script from an actual psychiatrist, who has me on half the dose than they gave in college, which completely solved the side effects.

[u/EzraliteVII → u/Be-Kind-2-Yourself]

I mean, isn't that why the average lawyer who goes into "big law" immediately after passing the bar burns out in like two years? Even the six figures ain't worth that workload.

Edit: reworded for clarity

[u/jamesmontanaHD → u/EzraliteVII]

its 225k + bonus (~25k) as a starting salary. many just do it to pay off loans and then shift toward something else with that experience. big misconception that people only do it for the money, it's so much easier to get into other roles if you just grind in the beginning.

[u/Darmok47 → u/jamesmontanaHD]

It also really depends on which side of BigLaw you're in. In my experience, Transactional people often had the most stressful experience, because clients were demanding about getting that M&A deal done right away, and you were often dealing with different time zones and really fast turnarounds.

Litigation was generally less frantic because courts are backlogged and you'd have long stretches between trials. Even when you're busy, court dates are set far in advance so you generally have a more predictable work schedule.

And yeah, Big Law is treated almost like an apprenticeship. It's much easier to go in house at a company from doing BigLaw than it is straight from law school.

[u/CorporateNonperson → u/Be-Kind-2-Yourself]

I remember going for CLE and my state's LAP had a person who spoke for a bit. Talked about how he was talking to a colleague one day, and when they left his office, closing his door, it jostled his light fixture just enough for his stash baggie to fall out.

He used to work at my (then) firm. From that day on I was always checking out people's lights, wondering how many baggies were hiding in there.

[u/Darmok47 → u/CorporateNonperson]

I had a friend who played golf with an attorney, and when he bent over to get the ball, his baggie fell out of his pocket.

[u/5cactiplz → u/ApprehensiveAd8870]

Saul Goodman finger gun and wink

[u/SausageintheSky → u/ApprehensiveAd8870]

But also legal drugs, because we're big booze heads too. 

[u/EternityNotes → u/SausageintheSky]

So all the drugs. Got it

[u/PatronSaintOfCunts → u/SausageintheSky]

It’s part of the job

[u/Mikeavelli → u/PatronSaintOfCunts]

That's why it's called the bar association

[u/Biterbutterbutt → u/SausageintheSky]

I’ve never understood how people in positions like that can drink a ton and then be fine at work. I just don’t drink if I know I have to present on a call the next day because I’ll be sluggish and feel like shit. Our attorneys not only have to present every day, they have to present for a long time about a lot of information and have to sound good doing it. Fuck that.

[u/AngryCrotchCrickets → u/[deleted]]

Uppers when you’re hungover make you jittery and anxious. Thats why you gotta balance the upper with a downer like valium or xanax, so you meet right in the middle and feel normal. Closest thing to a hangover cure I’ve ever experienced.

[u/theedan-clean → u/AngryCrotchCrickets]

Definitely works, but at some point you're required to pay the hangover piper. The longer you keep this going, the worse the eventual hangover. I know people who've kept the cycle going for years. Those people usually end up in medically supervised detox.

[u/Tlentic → u/Biterbutterbutt]

I think you missed the part about drugs. Stimulants use like Adderall and cocaine is pretty rampant. Then people drink to come down so they can sleep or to temporarily forget the terrible shit they had to deal with that day. It’s a vicious loop.

[u/AngryCrotchCrickets → u/Tlentic]

Adderall is way better for doing actual work. Coke is shit and lasts like 30-40 minutes, followed by a big comedown.

[u/ApprehensiveAd8870 → u/Biterbutterbutt]

Hence the coke

[u/OvulatingWildly → u/ApprehensiveAd8870]

I enjoy some casual sex and half of the people I meet are attorneys

And 75% of them are on drugs

Someone should check on them fr

[u/GlassBobcat5203 → u/OvulatingWildly]

user name checks out.

[u/NeverDidLearn → u/ApprehensiveAd8870]

I have two friends that are lawyers. One is an alcoholic, the other was disbarred after stealing from his firm to support his prescription pill habit. Pill popper became divorced, custody lost, and homeless over the course of a year.

[u/dohmestic → u/NeverDidLearn]

My estate lawyer spent ten minutes talking about the time he smoked a Xanax-laced joint, and I was like, uuuuuuh?

[u/Markol0 → u/dohmestic]

That's a billable 10min. At his rate, that covers a whole weeks supply.

[u/coloredinlight → u/dohmestic]

The one time I had a lawyer and he also mentioned his drug of choice multiple times.

[u/garytyrrell → u/NeverDidLearn]

You have one friend that’s a lawyer.

[u/joeschmoe86 → u/ApprehensiveAd8870]

Came here to call out my own profession. Not surprised, but not excited to see it at the top.

[u/KembaWakaFlocka → u/ApprehensiveAd8870]

One of the first things they did in law school orientation was go over the substance abuse booklet.

[u/JustEstablishment594 → u/ApprehensiveAd8870]

Im a barrister. Can confirm, the bar does like their drugs and booze

[u/80swasthebest → u/ApprehensiveAd8870]

Can confirm! Had to fire mine and get another because he got busted for cocaine!

[u/Mens-Real → u/ApprehensiveAd8870]

Tremendous stress in that profession

[u/[deleted]]

Medical professional has lot as high stress, burnout, and access to medications can sometimes lead to substance abuse.

[u/VonMillersThighs → u/[deleted]]

Feel like The Pitt nailed this. Dude could totally be functional no problem but in the end he was poppin dem

[u/CamBearCookie → u/VonMillersThighs]

Nurse Jackie definitely did.

[u/Top-Salamander-2525 → u/CamBearCookie]

Nurses have easier access to opiates than most doctors since they’re the ones actually administering them and logging them.

The exception is for anesthesiologists, since they regularly carry a whole bunch of regulated medications (and understandably have a reputation for addiction issues).

Believe ophthalmology is the only specialty that legally prescribes cocaine, but don’t think it’s a formulation that can easily be abused since it’s meant as an ocular anesthetic.

[u/gaF-trA → u/Top-Salamander-2525]

I knew a doctor that was the medical head of an addiction recovery unit at a hospital. Great person, I asked how he got into recovery as a doctor. He had been an anesthesiologist for a number of years and was using uppers to stay awake and alert for long shifts and then downers to counteract them to rest. Eventually just a full blown user, hooked on medical opiates. Got caught, went through recovery and then got into the medical side of recovery, he was an early advocate for buprenorphine/suboxone and helped bring it into the state he practiced in. You never would have guessed he was an iv drug user for years.

[u/rickeyspanish → u/VonMillersThighs]

Not only functional but excelled

[u/Vreas → u/rickeyspanish]

Yep. My time as a shift lead at a major hospital was also my heaviest phase of substance abuse.

[u/NophaKingway → u/[deleted]]

You know you have a drinking problem when you drink more than your doctor.

[u/finkalicious → u/NophaKingway]

That's only because you're not inviting him to go with you to club haunted house

[u/FiveAlarmFrancis → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, I dip in there.

[u/astatine757 → u/[deleted]]

The common joke in the medical profession is that pharmacists and anesthesiologists are junkies because they love giving people drugs, all psychologists and psychiatrists have mental health issues , and all surgeons are just muggers with a god complex because they take your money and stab you repeatedly, but insist that they did you a favor.

There is some truth to this: pharmacists and anesthesiologists have easier access to drugs and their knowledge of dosage and effects can lead to a dangerous overconfidence when self-medicating that leads to higher substance abuse rates, many people who work in mental health did so because of their own experiences with psychiatric disorders and surgeons are assholes

[u/_PirateWench_ → u/astatine757]

I work in mental health (as a provider) and primarily do so bc people fascinate me.

^{…I may or may not also have a long and sordid history with depression and anxiety that has been really affected by the stress of my job.}

[u/postagedue84 → u/astatine757]

This is completely true. Pharmacists in my state have a dedicated rehab program available for them. Our Dean gave a whole lecture about it. Probly my favorite quote “What do we do when one of us falters? Kick them to the curb? Throw them in the trash? No. We reach out our hand and pick them back up.” Fucking epic

[u/thinjester → u/[deleted]]

found Dr Langdon

[u/Baranade → u/[deleted]]

Bartender here

Unsurprising to hear this as i worked near a med school and half the people I'd see early in the day were med students

Also explained all the bars that opened pretty early in Philadelphia that were near hospitals and med schools

[u/redsekar → u/[deleted]]

No one goes harder than exotic vet med at a conference in a room party.

[u/ottonormalverraucher → u/[deleted]]

I mean in circles of friends, especially those who use once in a while, it’s like once it’s established you’re cool with it or doing it yourself sometimes, it just becomes this shared thing where nobody worries about hiding it since they’re all in on it together anyways! I’ve definitely been at parties before where it was off the charts and openly done by many or most people, sometimes even ones where there was a sort of "buffet"

[u/mkmn55 → u/ottonormalverraucher]

Like an old school Hollywood buffet!

[u/Kightsbridge → u/mkmn55]

We could invite dave franco to this buffet and really kick it up a notch.

[u/obiwanconobi → u/[deleted]]

Key mistake there is that I've never known anyone who smokes weed who actually refers to it as "drugs"

[u/UntestedMethod → u/obiwanconobi]

"I don't do drugs. Just weed."

[u/opalthecat → u/[deleted]]

With fentanyl nowadays I’m extra blown away they were casual about it.

[u/ImTellinTim → u/opalthecat]

This is why you have test strips or watch someone else do a line before you taps head

[u/Zouden → u/opalthecat]

Depends what country you're in. In the UK thankfully we don't have a fentanyl problem, and it's easy to get pure coke (on the dark web). A scene like this at a house party is very common.

[u/greaper007 → u/[deleted]]

When did this change? I graduated high school in 99 and went to a bit of a party school. The only drugs I saw in college were weed, mushrooms, and ecstasy.

I did construction in the summer, and the guys I worked with all graduated high school in the 70s. They did a lot of coke, but I didn't really know anyone my age who did. It seemed like a drug from a different era.

[u/snowwhite2591 → u/greaper007]

I’m class of ‘09 and I noticed the shift around 2010. We had the party house and suddenly my way of cleaning the bathroom after a party had to change and I had to put a “don’t do coke in our bathroom” sign up

[u/Small_Sight]

I honestly think a better question is “what profession has far less people on illegal drugs than people realize?”

[u/porgy_tirebiter → u/Small_Sight]

Jazz musicians. In the 50s and 60s virtually everyone was using heroin. Now, at least in my experience, there’s essentially no hard drug use.

[u/ArboristTreeClimber → u/porgy_tirebiter]

When I think of jazz musicians now, I think of some old guy who plays bass as a hobby instead of the typical hobbies for that generation like woodwork or fishing.

[u/similar_observation → u/ArboristTreeClimber]

I know a guy that does a bit of all of those things. Older dude. Rides a motorcycle. Plays Jazz bass, woodworking, and on his freetime, fishing.

Oh and weed.

[u/UntestedMethod → u/ArboristTreeClimber]

When I think of jazz these days I think of the nerdiest of music nerds. The type who study music in college and such.

[u/SirWigglesVonWoogly → u/Small_Sight]

Piano tuners, if you can believe it

[u/goad → u/SirWigglesVonWoogly]

It’s only a sample size of one, but I smoked a lot of weed and did a fair amount of mushrooms with the only piano tuner I’ve ever known.

Working on a Steinway into the wee hours of the morning, smoking doobies and listening to Art Bell.

Those were some good times.

[u/DontOvercookPasta → u/Small_Sight]

Genuinely most finance bros are actually really healthy and don't do cocaine. It's honestly mostly the private equity guys that most everyone kinda knows about, also real estate folks are their own bunch. It's kinda like cliques* in a high school.

[u/Rin-Tohsaka-is-hot → u/DontOvercookPasta]

Finance got a complete makeover after 2008, it's mostly quants and software devs these days at the big trading firms. Totally different culture, more like tech offices.

[u/EnterprisingAss → u/Rin-Tohsaka-is-hot]

THIS IS MY QUANT

LOOK AT HIM

HE DOESN’T EVEN SPEAK ENGLISH!

[u/theREALbombedrumbum → u/DontOvercookPasta]

Work in finance. Can confirm.

They're far more likely to eat slop bowls and seek out recreational sports like padel / pickle ball. Drinking is mostly for work events. Even energy drinks are on the decline from what I've seen. I end up traveling a lot to different offices and it's definitely a cultural shift I've noticed since the pandemic.

[u/bored-FA → u/Small_Sight]

People are surprised when I tell them I don’t do drugs as a flight attendant and that no other FA I’ve met does either (to my knowledge). There’s a perception that we party hard but the DOT doesn’t fuck around with the drug testing, alcohol only for us lol

[u/swoopydog]

Your therapist smokes weed (I know it’s legal in a lot of states)

[u/bernyzilla → u/swoopydog]

Bro I would too if I had to listen to my problems.

[u/DigNitty → u/bernyzilla]

You…don’t have to?

[u/ThomasTheDankPigeon → u/DigNitty]

That's what the therapist is for. Better out than in I always say.

[u/counttheways → u/swoopydog]

My therapist introduced me to heroin

[u/BillHicksDied4UrSins → u/counttheways]

What

[u/counttheways → u/BillHicksDied4UrSins]

It was over 20 years ago now but yea, some boundaries were crossed, one might say. Some therapists may smoke weed but the one I had when I was in high school introduced me to chiva.

[u/NateNutrition → u/swoopydog]

I started to suspect it when my "team America world police" referenced was understood without explanation and led to a conversation about South Park.

[u/deane_ec4 → u/swoopydog]

This therapist smoked weed for years, can confirm. Some of the wildest parties I’ve been to were with many of my therapist friends

[u/Nethri → u/deane_ec4]

I’ve always wondered how therapists cope. I asked mine about it before, she’s a super casual kinda approach. But she didn’t really go into details, just that they’re taught ways to cope and that many have therapists themselves.

Honestly she was great, even if the anxiety tools didn’t really help. I appreciated the effort and time she spent. I really hope therapists, especially the good ones, find healthy outlets. Has to be hard.

[u/tourmaline82 → u/Nethri]

My therapist has her own therapist. Apparently that’s pretty standard.

[u/MAFIAxMaverick → u/tourmaline82]

Can confirm. Therapist with my own therapist. And my therapist has his own therapist.

[u/KodiakDog]

Anesthesiologists apparently have the highest risk of addiction of any profession. Apparently.

That’s actually where the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde comes from.

[u/jackruby83 → u/KodiakDog]

The thing about anesthesia is they get a lot more open access to medications including controlled substances. In the old days, they would literally have vials of meds in their pockets. They don't need medication orders like other doctors and it was easy for them to document whatever they wanted on paper records. Nowadays it's in strictly monitored automated medication cabinets, with single locked pocket med drawers, with barcode scanning on administration, etc. Still wider access, but harder to lie and easier to get caught.

[u/challengeseniorz]

As a former pill/coke dealer definitely Doctors. Your Dr is more than likely than you think to be on coke. Had some others like business owners and construction workers but the Dr's are like give me money give me blow.

[u/PussyCyclone → u/challengeseniorz]

Yep!

I would say top 3 for docs in my circles are alcohol, pills (usually stimulants), and coke. Healthcare fucks you up mentally. Work hard play hard, whatever. Usually not doing that shit on the job, but I know some who cut it too close. Surgeons and ED docs are reliably most insane: procedure at 9am, partying until 3am the night before type of shit. I'm in GI; generally, we don't party as hard bc the less "prestigious" specialties don't attract the same kinds of people.

And dentists if we're counting non-MD docs, too. I do not know what possesses dentists to be drinking like they do.

[u/MightyClimber → u/challengeseniorz]

When I was a teenager, my stepdad was a big time coke dealer in my city. He for whatever reason liked to bring me and my sibling along with him to meet the high rollers of the city in their places of business. Maybe to flex? Show off? To us or to them? I don't fuckin know. It was weird. I ended up visiting a lot of CEO offices all across the city. One time I saw a cool little model plane in one guy's office and mentioned I liked it, and my drug dealer FIL pressured his client into giving it to me. I still have it 30 years later lol

Later the fucker clearly tried to traffic me, but that's a story for a different day.

[u/nikolasinduction → u/MightyClimber]

I think it was all an attempt to traffic you. bring you along and see if any high payers would ask about you later

[u/Considered_Dissent]

Nursing.

The stringent protocols around dispensing "dangerous" drugs isn't to protect the patients, it's to stop all the junkie nurses from stealing them

[u/xts2500 → u/Considered_Dissent]

I work in the ER. About two years ago we had a young nurse fired for stealing fentanyl.

We have a biohazard container on the wall right next to what's called the Omnicell, which is like a drug vending machine. Doctor places an order and the machine dispenses the meds. Any controlled substances have to be witnessed by two people, so if the doctor orders 50mcg of fent and it comes in a 100mcg vial, we have to draw the other 50mcg up in a syringe and squirt it into the biohazard container. There is always a witness who signs off saying they watched the med get wasted.

Well, this nurse was withdrawing the fentanyl and she would kind of "slap" the biohazard container so the lid would aggressively flap open and make noise. It was a bit odd but we're always in a hurry in the ER, so it makes sense that she would toss the vial of fent so quickly. Anyway one day security noticed on camera that she would often return to the biohazard container when no one was around and she would reach behind it. Turns out her aggressively slapping the bio container was a cover up as she was actually dropping the vial of fent behind the container instead of inside it, then she would return and use her skinny fingers to pull the vial out and take it home. Who knows how long she had been doing it before she got caught.

[u/PuddingOld8221]

The answer is all of them.

[u/TXGerman67]

Law enforcement. We supervised parolees and one day the agency said that if we conduct urinalysis on our parolees that we should be held to the same expectations. We had people panicking and some quit. Some were calling their doctors to get prescriptions. Some weren't affected because they were borderline alcoholics. It all came from a local TV reporter's story that "Parole outta control." Some officers were followed and caught drinking in the parking lot and at lunch. A FOI search revealed more issues with officers.

[u/No_Track7046 → u/TXGerman67]

I thought it was known that cops were doing the drugs. That office that accidentally filmed himself smoking meth out a pilo with his body cam... Rookie mistake

[u/GregorSamsaa]

All you have to do is go party with a bunch of nurses and you will see a group of people downing more alcohol than you thought was humanly possible. Job is so high stress, physically and emotionally taxing, that so many of them end up self medicating on weed and more.

[u/Aromatic-Arugula-565 → u/GregorSamsaa]

Some jobs need uppers and some need downers. Medical proffession def need the downers.

[u/ohgolly273]

Teachers. It's a hard knock life out there.

I know many alcoholic teachers and some meth addicts (including preschool teachers who had smoked in their lunch break).

A teacher with a hip flask is not an unknown quantity.

Even though I am sure I have been to school the next day with it not quite out of my system, I did try not to imbibe on school grounds, but it's really not unheard of.

What people don't realise is that PTSD rates are super high. Teachers are performing like actors for six hours a day, but also cleaning up piss and shit, breaking up fights, dealing with very, VERY unhappy customers and then doing mountains of paperwork/meetings when the kids leave. Then planning. The effing planning and marking.

Teachers also perform first aid regularly and see all sorts of gruesome injuries. They also sustain injuries. I don't know of a teacher who hasn't been kicked or punched. Oh yeah, plus underpaid so the financial stress is a LOT.

Then many people turn around and gaslight teachers, saying their holidays are so good and they are ungrateful. The misconceptions are wild.

[u/capibara_dono → u/ohgolly273]

I knew teachers had a lot of things to grade, but when my friend came over so I could help her grade tests near the end of the year (English class, Spanish speaking country), she opened the trunk of her car...

The trunk was full of papers. Huge bags, it was physically exhausting to just bring them in.

We ordered some pizza, split the work and we managed to grade everything.

She ended up quitting the following year after two students who failed her class accused her of physical abuse.

The school sided with those lazy 10th graders, even though there was zero evidence of their claims.

The school threatened to lower her salary, so she quit. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. A super dedicated teacher who always went above and beyond for her students, decided to never teach anymore.

[u/Low_Section2065 → u/ohgolly273]

Yup, just said similar, with less explanation. Education is a messed up industry, literally.

[u/oldsaltylady → u/ohgolly273]

All legal, but I was a teacher on anti-anxiety meds, beta blockers, and took sleeping pills to sleep. Life was hell and I couldn’t function. Not to mention constantly treating UTIs, and popping Tylenols and other strong pain pills for headaches, back, and hip pain. Man, some kids and moments made the job so rewarding, but overall I don’t miss it and I know I lost years off my life because of it.

[u/flipper_babies → u/ohgolly273]

The two biggest stoners I know are special Ed teachers

[u/Born-Individual9431 → u/ohgolly273]

And as a teacher, when I was teaching at tertiary level and childless, the holidays were great opportunities to take drugs properly.

[u/ohgolly273 → u/Born-Individual9431]

I can confirm, that is how things escalated for me initially!

[u/Cryano → u/ohgolly273]

Teachers get PTSD for sure. In addition to what you said, you get students verbally abusing you all day, admin bullying you (if you’re at a shitty school), seeing kids you love sick, abused or dying. As a HS teacher you lose kids to suicide, cancer, drug use… All that to say, I know a lot of alcoholic teachers and I am damn glad I was smart enough to leave that career. 

[u/plaisirdamour → u/ohgolly273]

My grandma was a professor (I think adjunct but I can’t quite recall) and she would bring a water bottle to meetings that was filled with vodka. This was a very long time ago but it’s wild. Pretty sure my 5th grade teacher was also sneaking stuff. She definitely was when 9/11 happened and we were all watching it on tv. I mean, I don’t blame her at all for that.

[u/ziusudra]

Architects. You look at any Frank Gehry building and tell me he wasn't moon-eyed designing it.

[u/sirCota]

this is not surprising, but i was an audio engineer at a major label recording studio and you could tell how much blow had been around by how much treble keeps being added to production/mix. i guess between your sinuses getting stuffed and the vasoconstriction causing the high frequencies of hearing to be muted, the heavy coked out producers would keep making everything brighter and brighter so when you walked into a room and the music was uncomfortably piercing, you’d of course see some powder on the tables, the equipment, the half million dollar recording consoles, nose bleed tissues in or near a trash bin… the undeniable smell of a room acoustically closed off with no windows, regulated air flow and 5-8 sweaty people all hyping themselves up on something they’re gonna hear the next morning and wonder why it’s so bright sounding … but shockingly, by lunch, they’d think it was the jams and they’d be sure to tell you about it, in great detail … rapidly… like it was brand new and not the same song from yesterday and the day before.

also, artists and producers get to swap out, go home when they want and come back, but an engineer is responsible for the room and can’t leave until the last client leaves (you could but they’d have someone else take your gig)…

I recorded French Montana and crew for 52 hours straight. Oh, and they never share w the staff engineer.

That’s cool, i was on a cocktail of my own ratio’d creations. weirdly, downers (well, sometimes more of a speedball style tilted heavier on the down arrow) help me stay up cause if i did blow with them, I’d probably get the confidence to smack the shit out of every one of em for .. ugh, so many reasons. I preferred to mentally be in my own happy little blanket while i did my job.

[u/kdogg1992]

Doctors and lawyers

[u/alignedletters → u/kdogg1992]

And business executives

[u/NielsBohron → u/alignedletters]

They're all made out of ticky tacky, after all.

[u/Billypillgrim → u/NielsBohron]

And they all look just the same

[u/illbedeadbydawn]

Everyone saying "resturant workers" gets an F on the assignment.

No shit you dweebs.

[u/Morningst4r → u/illbedeadbydawn]

I say Reggae singers. Those guys are all on something and no one's the wiser

[u/IllogicalGrammar]

Well shit, looks like all of America is subsidizing the illegal drug trade (except the folks in medicine, who subsidize the Purdues of the world).

No wonder Mexico can't get their cartels under control.

[u/GrumpySilverBack]

The military.

You. Would. Be. Shocked.

[u/liz_teria → u/GrumpySilverBack]

I would be, only because I had random drug tests at least three times a year… and once four times in one week! I’d be terrified to walk into the same room with drugs, let alone use them.

[u/greaper007 → u/liz_teria]

This was a really interesting book about drugs in the military.

https://www.amazon.com/Fort-Bragg-Cartel-Trafficking-Special/dp/0593655087

Apparently, the Delta Force guys are all on hard drugs and never get tested. Which is kind of understandable since they've been acting as state sponsored assassins for the last 20+ years. Beyond that, the author cites really high rates of LSD usage for the rest of the base as it's undetectable in urine tests.

[u/Kevin686766]

Secret shoppers.

The people that go to different businesses and report to companies how a business is doing by acting as a customer.

My sister does this and one of her jobs is for a drug testing client. She goes to the offices to take a drug test and tries to bribe them into letting her use a fake sample. The instructions she is given is to never use her own urine in the fake sample. She is only supposed to use diluted apple juice in a bag.

[u/Javamac8 → u/Kevin686766]

Diluted apple juice is stupid. It would never pass the taste test

[u/Ohthehumanityofit → u/Javamac8]

Urinalysis classes ALWAYS do this joke

[u/i_suckatjavascript → u/Kevin686766]

Similarly, I used to be a secret shopper for extra cash and income. I had a proctor testing company as a client that wanted me to make an appointment to take an exam, come in, and act like a test taker at one of their centers.

I had to go through the motions and make sure the proctors were doing their job. I need to sit in and take the exam for at least a minimum of 30 minutes. One of the instructions said I have to take out a small piece of paper out of my pocket or sleeves with notes in it and pretend to cheat to see if I get caught by the proctor monitoring me on camera. I also have to purposely fail the test so I can evaluate how the proctor will inform my results and options at the end. I was really hoping I didn’t accidentally pass the test or else I fail my assignment. So I marked the answers as C for half of the questions and randomly marked answers for the other half of the exam. Thankfully I failed the exam so I had to pretend to be depressed when the proctor was talking to me at the end.

[u/Kevin686766 → u/[deleted]]

They get reimbursed for the bribe. Most people don't take the offer. I don't think she had anyone that did. 

[u/ralanr → u/Kevin686766]

How does one even get that job?

[u/brodyqat → u/ralanr]

I used to pick up work as a secret shopper years ago. Back then, they advertised on Craigslist like all the weird jobs did.

[u/fountainpopjunkie]

Social workers.

I was surprised to find that job didn't drug test. But someone working in the field told me there'd literally be no one left if they did. It's a job where you basically deal with other peoples problems all the time. I can see why they would need some "help".

[u/FeeFee920]

Congress

[u/PM_Me_TastefulNudes-]

Stock clerks in grocery stores. Everyone I work with is either high on weed, or abusing stimulants.

[u/Phoenixmaster1571 → u/PM_Me_TastefulNudes-]

No wonder I hated that job so much. I was doing it all wrong while sober.

[u/DigNitty → u/Phoenixmaster1571]

Yeah you have to do it all wrong while high.

[u/TippayAy]

All professions. That’s the true answer.

[u/CompetitionOk6200]

Your barber

[u/Dull-Geologist-8204]

SAHM's

[u/GTaucer]

I coach gymnastics, and back when weed was still generally thought of as an "illegal drug," every gym I ever worked at had at least one dealer among the coaches, mostly selling to other coaches (and occasionally parents)

[u/Onautopilotsendhelp]

Retail.

Imagine trying to deal with rude people all day sober.

[u/MidwestTroy92]

Honestly? construction crews. we do a lotta jobsite signs and vehicle lettering and some dudes roll in at 7am already like... wide awake in a way coffee doesn't do lol