The Shrine

I wonder if I ought to feel bad about having been high for about two weeks straight, beginning about 30 minutes after I wake up every day...

Consdering someone pays you to do work, then yes.

Mental wrote:I wonder if I ought to feel bad about having been high for about two weeks straight, beginning about 30 minutes after I wake up every day...

Results are all that matter in the business world, so as long as you're still able to do your job, whateve. And what you do with your personal life is your business

Flip wrote:Consdering someone pays you to do work, then yes.

Actually, my boss and I have vastly improved our relationship since I started getting high every day. Otherwise, I argue with him about many, many things that I disagree with him on, which frustrates and annoys him.

I can still program while high, though I'm not as fast. As Zeus said, I think one should be judged according to one's ability to meet responsibilities, not one's lifestyle choices.

Mental wrote:

Flip wrote:Consdering someone pays you to do work, then yes.

Actually, my boss and I have vastly improved our relationship since I started getting high every day. Otherwise, I argue with him about many, many things that I disagree with him on, which frustrates and annoys him.

I can still program while high, though I'm not as fast. As Zeus said, I think one should be judged according to one's ability to meet responsibilities, not one's lifestyle choices.

I think it's a little ironic that we're discussing this in adminstrative systems management.

Huh?

Mental wrote:Actually, my boss and I have vastly improved our relationship since I started getting high every day. Otherwise, I argue with him about many, many things that I disagree with him on, which frustrates and annoys him.

That's probably because you're too stoned to care.

Being high at work every day is not a "lifestyle choice." Actually, maybe it is, but I think I should say it's not a <i>defensible</i> lifestyle choice. If you want to get high on your own time, knock yourself out. I do it too, albiet rarely. But I don't buy that you're still able to fully meet your responsibilities stoned. I also think that if you're doing it all day, every day, you've reached the level of drug dependence, which is a serious problem.

I thought you were running your own buisiness. And being high/drunk/whatever at work every day is probably not a good thing (see Kupek's post).

*sigh*

I'm not doing much of the running of this business, which is the larger problem. We took on a side project on which I feel completely disenfranchised, so rather than argue all the time, I get high instead.

I really don't plan on doing this on an extended basis. But perhaps we should just drop it.

And, for what it's worth, I am meeting my responsibilities, to the extent that has been humanly possible given my long-term extended workload. Honestly, most people would have quit long ago and begun working somewhere less stressful, which admittedly is a possibility. However, I'd like to try to see my game that I busted my ass on get published, if there's any chance of it, and if I leave I can't do that.

Am I possibly using it to cope with burnout? Possibly, maybe even probably. Is it a fairly benign drug to use if I'm trying to cope? Probably.

Getting drunk every day damages the shit out of one's body and eventually causes brain damage and dependence. Most tobacco products cause a range of horrendous lung diseases. Getting high really doesn't much, except in the case of seriously high-volume smokers.

Do I want to be high out of my mind for the rest of my life? I hope not. Do I support the responsible use of it (which I still believe this is)? Yes.

Honestly, I really believe that had I not had this form of stress relief, I would have folded under the pressure weeks ago, with the result being severe financial hardship for both my partner and myself. I might have been able to pull through it without it, but it's certain now that we have pulled through, and while I was using it. I find it to be incredibly relaxing and pacifying.

I'd rather be using this than getting prescribed Prozac, or Valium, or another psych drug - I've been on some of those (many, actually) and they can really be very bad for your psyche if improperly prescribed. I've been more miserable on psych meds than any other periods of my life.

Kupek wrote:

Mental wrote:Actually, my boss and I have vastly improved our relationship since I started getting high every day. Otherwise, I argue with him about many, many things that I disagree with him on, which frustrates and annoys him.

That's probably because you're too stoned to care.

Not a bad solution, no?

Seriously, dude, I did e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g in my power to try to alter the situations I saw as problematic, and when I found I could not do anything, at all, I started trying to find ways to deal with the stress of constantly seeing decisions I disagreed with heavily but could not change a bit. Pot seems to work, and still leave me reasonably functional (and happy).

I work stoned on occasion, but all I have is a low paying part time job (which is just for side cash anyway) that doesn't require much brain activity. If I get caught, I'll probably just get fired and lose them as a reference for my next slightly above minimum wage job, so no biggie.

Normally, I would say that as long as you can do the job, then go for it. However, even I don't recommend doing it every day. I don't think it's worth losing a nice mid-level programming job. Does your boss know you smoke during working hours? If not, then I assume intoxication in the office isn't tolerated. If you work slower when your stoned, there's a chance that the higher ups might notice a drop in your productivity. They might even notice a change your personality since you're all buddy-buddy with your boss all of a sudden.

It sounds like you've already decided on whether your actions are appropriate or not so why even bother posing the question of whether you should feel bad?

I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything. It's just curiousity. If you really have a reason(excuse) for your actions than why post a message about it at all unless you're looking for some kind of reinforcement to prove that it's ok?

I think you guys are all taking this a bit too seriously, and yes, my "boss" (or business partner - we're going to move towards a more equal arrangement) does know I get high while working sometimes.

Anyway, we can drop it now, nothing more too see here.

Mental wrote:Huh?

Ah sorry, I meant, we're studying about substance abuse in the work place right now. Kinda thought it was a bit ironic you get high and it actually improves your relationship with your boss.

I just wanted to say to everyone that I definitely was being a jerk here.

Looking at it from the outside, it's a lot easier to see how most people feel I was being ridiculously irresponsible by being stoned while working every day.

All told, I'm not sure it was the best resolution to my problems, but I still don't think the results were horrible - I still have my job, we finished our project and will be paid for it, and I'm still on good terms with everyone involved. I really don't know if that would have happened had I been "sober" those last few weeks.

That being said, I understand your various points of view on it which weren't (and probably aren't) in agreement with mine, and shouldn't have spoken so defensively. And, in the long term, pot is probably not the altogether-best solution to the problem, which is my relative lack of emotional skill at dealing with frustrations and anger, particularly around my working life. I'll definitely be investing some "skill points" into that from here on out.

So, consider this a general apology to those who posted to this thread.

Heh, don't worry about it. I would love to work at a place where smoking on the job is allowed and the work is easy enough to do while stoned.

I'm with Torgo there too. Not saying I wanna be stoned 24/7, but going to work stoned occassionally and not having to worry about it would be kinda nice. Never been to work or school stoned myself, I get too paranoid and I don't like talking to sober people while stoned :p

One of the perks from working from home, I guess. My partner doesn't like it if I'm stoned in the office, but only because he says the laid-back attitude I have when I'm stoned rubs off on him and he doesn't get much done.

I actually wonder if a lot of pot paranoia comes from the fear of getting busted. I've never experienced it outside of that context - I'm about the most easygoing person ever while I'm stoned.