Work, study & making ends meet

NOTE: Quotes are presented word for word apart from minor editing for readability and clarity. Identifying details have been removed. Square brackets show text that has been added, e.g. ‘I want to maintain [my current level of consumption]’. Ellipses within square brackets […] show where text has been removed, e.g. ‘Counselling was good but […] I would have liked more information about other treatment options’.

Most of the people interviewed for this website currently work or have worked in the past. Among them, there is great diversity in the jobs and industries they have worked in. Many have also undertaken post-secondary or tertiary study. Here they describe how they combine alcohol and other drug consumption with their work and study commitments. They also talk about how they manage their money to afford alcohol and other drug consumption while supporting themselves and their families.

Consumption & work

Most participants interviewed for this website do not consume alcohol or other drugs at work, but some say they do. Those who do say that it helps them achieve their work tasks. As John (M, 34, works in health services, ice) says, taking ice ‘helps me with my work […] it makes me feel confident. I seem to have a clearer head at times when I use and […] because I’m more confident I seem to be more effective in my role’. Managing stress or boredom in the workplace is another reason a few consume at work. As Ben (29, M, alcohol, works in hospitality) says of working in hospitality, ‘[I] always [drank] during work time, never at home […] I thought I was able to manage and focus on the job better than if I was sober […] Because of the boredom [at work…drinking] just became a natural thing to make me feel better, to get that high, to feel good at work and enjoy myself’. Others say it helped them to manage their work commitments when they were experiencing depression or going through a difficult time in their lives.

According to Sean (M, 48, works in education, OTC painkillers), taking Nurofen Plus^® ‘felt like an emotional regulator’ that helped him cope at work during a difficult time in his life. (Played by an actor)

Renee (F, 35, works in hospitality, ice) began taking ice every day as an ‘enhancement’ to help her complete her work tasks while on a seven-day roster.

Matthew (M, 49, not working due to illness, cannabis) says he initially smoked cannabis to ‘unwind’ after work, and later began smoking at work to help him cope with depression.

Workplace culture & alcohol & other drugs

Alcohol and other drug consumption is described by some as an accepted, even encouraged, part of their industry or workplace culture. This is seen as encouraging consumption as it creates opportunities or incentives to drink or take other drugs at work. In some cases these expectations led to the development of consumption patterns they considered to be problematic. As Scott (M, 25, working in hospitality and studying, alcohol) explains, ‘I got a job working at a nightclub in the city and I’d just end up drinking, you know, every day of the week […] You weren’t told to drink but they didn’t care at all […] Then after work, you finish at like 5am and […] I’m still wide awake, so you just keep drinking […] There was so many opportunities’.

Eva (F, 20, works in the entertainment industry, ice) makes a similar point in relation to her experience working in the sex industry, ‘Once I started [doing sex work] it was like a free for all, everyone knew where to get [ice…] The staff members were using it and stuff. Like, they turned a blind eye to it […] If you wanted to make money where I was working, you would have to be like one of the girls at parties [who took drugs with clients]’.

Luke (M, 44, works in retail, alcohol) began drinking daily when working in ‘high pressure’ marketing jobs as he says it was accepted to drink at meetings and after work.

Fitting alcohol & other drug use around work

A key concern is prioritising work commitments when planning consumption. For some, this means limiting it to after work. For others, this means avoiding alcohol or other drug use during the week and limiting it to the weekends. Some say they limit their consumption to the end of the working day or week as a ‘reward’ for making it through the week, or as a way to release work-related stress. As Dawn (F, 38, unemployed, alcohol) says, ‘I wouldn’t drink during the week because […] I was at work […] Then when the weekend came I would really binge. I would tell myself that was my reward for the week’. A few say that they sometimes take annual leave or sick leave to give them time to recover from ‘a hangover’ before going back to work.

Harry (M, 52, works in the arts, heroin) limits his heroin consumption to evenings after work.

Ted (M, 26, works in the arts, party drugs and cannabis) limits ‘partying’ to Friday nights to allow time to ‘recover’ before work. (Played by an actor)

Access to flexible working arrangements allows some to manage their consumption without it impacting on their work.

Sean (M, 48, works in education, OTC painkillers) says having flexible working arrangements meant he could manage his Nurofen Plus consumption so that it didn’t impact on his work. (Played by an actor)

Formal treatment programs, especially opioid pharmacotherapy treatment (OPT), help some to fit their consumption around their work commitments. Some say that by reducing the desire for the drug and physical symptoms of ‘withdrawal’, OPT allows them to continue working while cutting down (see also Pharmacotherapy/Medication treatment). As Zadie (F, 33, works in the health sector, heroin) puts it, ‘I just didn’t have the luxury to stop work [to detox]. I had to keep working. So the only way to do that [while] taking the heroin away was with some pharmacotherapy’. However, some also note that pharmacotherapy dosing regimes are difficult to fit in with their work schedules. As Helen (F, 53, not working due to injury, heroin) explains, ‘It has been an issue for me where employers haven’t been very flexible to allow me to get to the clinic on time or, you know, allow me to come in half an hour late because I have to go to the clinic first’.

Starting a new job is described by some as offering a reason or an opportunity to change their patterns of consumption (see also Changing patterns of consumption). For example, Zac (M, 53, works in health services, party drugs) cut down on ice before starting a new job because, as he puts it, ‘I wanted to be in the best head space for how I feel about myself and I how feel about work. So I didn’t want to be, you know, feeling a comedown or being at work and having self-doubt. And with crystal [ice], that’s what it tends to do’.

Confidentiality, telling others & discrimination in the workplace

While some say they feel comfortable telling their co-workers about their consumption, others say they avoid doing so because they’re concerned they’ll be discriminated against or even lose their job if their employer becomes aware of it (see also Relationships, confidentiality & telling others; Dealing with stigma & discrimination). When Tiffany (F, 33, works in hospitality, ice) was working full-time and taking ice every other day, she says, ‘It was tiring […] I felt so guilty […and] so paranoid at work […thinking] I’m going to get caught out’. Several say they feel unsupported by co-workers and some have even lost their jobs in relation to their alcohol or other drug use.

Fozz (M, 59, works in employment services, alcohol) says that while working in an ‘uncongenial […] environment’ his drinking ‘escalated’, but his co-workers made ‘jokes’ about him rather than offering help.

A few say that drug use is something they do in their own time that doesn’t interfere with their work so they don’t see it as their employer’s business. For reasons such as this, some express concern about the introduction of mandatory drug testing in their workplaces. As Zadie (F, 33, works in the health sector, heroin) explains, ‘I think all those jobs that mandatory drug test […] it’s all about bloody insurance […] It’s not about someone’s capability or whether something is genuinely a risk or not […] There are a few jobs that I wanted to go for and I couldn’t because I found out they mandatory drug test’.

Kate (F, 36, works in the health sector, prescription drugs and ice) prefers to keep her ‘personal and work life separate’ and does not disclose her consumption to co-workers. (Played by an actor)

One participant, Pauline (F, 51, works in administration, cannabis), says she’s concerned that she may lose her driver’s licence due to cannabis use, which will make it harder for her to find work in the regional area where she lives.

Pauline (F, 51, works in administration, cannabis) is concerned that her ability to find work could be affected if she loses her driver’s licence due to cannabis consumption. (Played by an actor)

Study

Of those interviewed who are studying, several say they find alcohol or other drug consumption helps them with their studies. Some, for example, say that smoking cannabis makes them feel more creative, motivated or better able to concentrate. Others say consumption hinders their studies so they avoid it when they have classes or assignments due. Scott (M, 25, studying and working in hospitality, alcohol) says, ‘I almost found that I couldn’t drink if I really wanted to work hard at uni as well. It’s like, I could go to the pub, or I could do that assignment.

Lucy (F, 34, works in retail, cannabis) says smoking cannabis generally helps with her studies, but sometimes she finds it makes her ‘go in circles’ when writing essays. (Played by an actor)

Jenna (F, 31, studying, cannabis) is studying for an Arts degree and says smoking cannabis improves her creativity and music performance.

Consuming alcohol or other drugs helps a few of our participants to cope with feelings of inadequacy or fear of failure in relation to their studies.

When Amy (F, 52, studying, heroin) feels ‘out of [her] depth’ in her studies she sometimes takes heroin to help her to ‘feel better’. (Note: strong language)

Some explain that university offered opportunities to meet new people, party and take drugs more often. These opportunities led a few to became more interested in partying than focusing on their studies.

When Dee Jay (M, 24, studying, party drugs and cannabis) started university he became ‘curious’ about drugs and began taking MDMA and cocaine.

Ethan (M, 39, works in hospitality, ice) started to ‘party’ more often in his second year of university and eventually lost interest in his studies. (Played by an actor)

Making ends meet

The expense of regular alcohol and other drug use is identified as a downside by many of our participants. Some say they have spent a lot of money on alcohol and other drugs over the years, and that the cost has led them to consider stopping or cutting down (see also Changing patterns of consumption). Paying for rent, food, utility bills and family expenses is the first priority for some, and they organise their consumption around these responsibilities. Some have been involved in criminal activities to help them fund their consumption (see also Contact with the criminal justice system). Struggling to make ends meet and financial stress shaped some people’s consumption practices. For example, Ben (29, M, works in hospitality, alcohol) says, ‘When I was [in my early twenties], I was battling some financial difficulties and was pretty stressed out, and started drinking heavily then. That began [with] drinking on the job again, and yeah, it just escalated from there’.

When Rachel (F, 50, works in the health sector, heroin) found it hard to make ends meet, she took on more work to fund her consumption and cover family expenses. (Note: strong language) (Played by an actor)

Over the years Brad (M, 50, unemployed, speed) has spent a lot of money on speed, alcohol and benzodiazepines, but says this is his choice.

For those on opioid pharmacotherapy treatment (OPT), a few say they find it hard to afford. Others say that pharmacotherapy helps them to manage the cost of their consumption, or has helped them to stop when it became too expensive (see also Pharmacotherapy/medication treatment).

Grace (F, 58, works in manufacturing, heroin) takes heroin when she can afford to, and when money is tight she goes onto OPT to take a break from heroin. (Played by an actor)