August 30th, 2024
73
[WY] Pretty sure my coworker is “tripping balls,” can I do anything without him losing his job?
Every Friday my coworker who sits at the desk next to me acts a little weirder than usual. I’ve noticed his pupils seem a little dilated and he is constantly putting on and taking off a hoodie (most of the time exposing his hairy belly and tiger tattoo— ew, no one wants to see that). I’ve never done any drugs besides alcohol so I always thought he was just mentally “not there” and the proximity to the weekend was to him what a full moon was to a werewolf. But after talking to my buddy jiv who has done every drug under the sun, I found out that my coworker is most likely taking an LSD every Friday.
It wouldn’t brother me so much if he wasn’t so annoying. This morning, for example, he’s just watching his screensavers switch between different images of nature, castles, and animals and just keeps saying things like “holy smokes.” Also, I’m depending on him to do intake processes on some reports that just came in so I can do my job and not get yelled at, but it doesn’t look like he’s opened his email yet. I usually give everyone a little grace on Fridays and have become accustomed to things going a little slower in the A.M., but I’m just about to snap. I’m about to tell him I need him to do his job, but if he keeps this shit up, how do I tell a supervisor without him getting fired? I know he has children who depend on him and couldn’t live with that.
August 30th, 2024
73
Comments:
jstar77
95
Ben-TheHuman
3
AmethystStar9
You would be horrified to learn how many alcoholics drive themselves to and from work while absolutely obliterated behind the wheel.
23
Poppa_Mo
Can confirm. Used to be that guy. Am not that guy anymore.
12
enkilekee
5
[deleted]
4
[deleted]
First off, the disrespect for hairy men is annoying, esp. since this is a natural phenomenon. ‘Most likely doing drugs’ simply because you and your drug bestie decided so is judgy and illogical. A hoodie on casual Friday mixed with your personal ‘vibes’ does not constitute a drug addict.
Are the work KPIs suffering? Are your customers neglected? Keep it strictly to tangible business outcomes vs. naive hunch
4
Pure-Act1143
3
AwwYissm
3
BustaLimez
3
Qu4ntif13d
8
OzarkMtnOG
All this advice is fine but what I would do is fight fire with fire.
Walk by him and whisper things like “did you hear that?” “I think he knows” “They said they’re on the way”
And pretend nothing happened.
7
FuckYourRights
7
benwight
Wouldn't surprise me if he's trying to microdose and taking too much
16
jauntyk
This.
Some people are crazy functional on LSD, and can do things like drive, go to the gym, work, etc. but the crazy thing about LSD is that it’s so small that the same dose can vary wildly. One tiny piece of paper can have 10x the dose or another tiny piece of paper.
He probably had a few good days and thought one day out of the week he’s able to get as much as the other 4 days.
I would pull him aside and broach the subject with him and say you’re trying to help him and want him around but it’s affecting your work and wanted to give him your perspective before bringing in someone else who may not be as open minded as you are.
Also best to wait until he’s sober, if you confront him while he’s high it could turn into a bad trip/living nightmare.
6
orchidelirious_me
I think this is a great answer. It’s a long weekend, he’s obviously checked out. I feel for OP, but this dude is doing it to himself.
4
BarbsFPV
Probably isn’t microdosing LSD, but shrooms. You can buy psilocybin laced chocolate bars now for microdosing. I have a couple of friends that do it, and they swear by it.
Finding the right dosage is the hard part in the beginning, so you’re not actually tripping balls, and it sounds like that’s what OP’s coworker is going through at the moment.
3
[deleted]
Tolerance builds up within 24 hours . Bugger going to work tripping, I could think of nothing worse than
2
[deleted]
Tolerance is different with everyone. 4-5 day rest for me and I basically didn't notice a tolerance, regardless of how frequent I used.
4
Fast_Witness_3000
For real - everyone has a different tolerance to chemicals. With psychedelics you def aren’t easily able to get to the same level with back to back daily use, but once you readjust to normalcy, you can totally get back on that same level. Not the same level as the first time ever but still. 4-5 days is plenty. Source: a solid decade of multiple times a week dosing.
1
[deleted]
Not like that. Takes about a week of decent sleep to be able to feel the same effects off the same dose again.
1
meatrosoft
2
lucille12121
It’s not your job to deal with this situation. It is your job to report behavior that impedes the company and your own ability to do your job.
Why worry about getting your coworker fired when he’s not worried about it? They may fire him. They may also just confront him about his drug use at work and give him a warning. I’d tell a supervisor everything and they can decide how to proceed. Describe your coworker’s behavior in detail and how it impacts your work. Do not just accuse them of doing drugs, because you cannot be certain what is causing them to behave this way.
If you want to be generous, with him, it may come at your own expense. But, come Monday, tell him that his behavior on Friday was absolutely unacceptable and you will report him the next time it happens without hesitation.
2
AmethystStar9
4
Comprehensive-Look44
3
GirlStiletto
Why do you want to let him keep his job?
He's coming to work on drugs. LEt him get fired. IT's his fault/.
2
KatVat19
1
PettyAssWitch420
1
CastorCurio
1
jjj666jjj666jjj
Talk to him first. If that goes south, go to a supervisor. But it’s courteous that you care about this guy’s family and how his employment could have a trickle effect on them…
I’m not suggesting a huge window of grace, just say hey please get your act together on Fridays - I don’t want to have to share this with anyone else and would prefer this stays between us. Give him a chance, but only a chance… if he gets argumentative or blows you off or does it again, I’d draw the line there.
Being kind is important, but having boundaries and drawing a line in the sand is also important and I think they can coexist.
Maybe talk to him on a not Friday… 😂
1
[deleted]
Asked to be moved.
Then the will ask why and explain it's distraction.
Or talk to him first. Gives him opportunity to correct actions before you go to management.
1
[deleted]
1
PoliteCanadian2
1
bettyx1138
talk to him about it, but not on a Friday. The conversation probably won’t go well on a friday lol
he’s not fully tripping. he’d be much more bonkers than that. Maybe he’s microdosing, which is like yawn 🥱 whatever.
I loved acid when I was younger, but I would never would have taken it an office or work environment lol that’s just ridiculous. but kudos to him! I bet it makes work a lot more tolerable
1
PressureBeautiful280
1
Thewarriordances
1
SkirMernet
This doesn’t feel like lsd to me.
Meth more likely.
But honestly it’s not your problem. As long as he’s not causing actual issues, let it go
1
IntelligentForm7959
jmnugent
Note:… (crudely drawn dragon)… “Do you see it too!?”…
3
ZopyrionRex
140
harryhend3rson
Hello, one Marijuana please.
78
hatdecoy
"Sir, it pains me to say it, but I have reason to believe that my co-worker is shooting a doobie on company time. 😥"
32
OhEmRo
Holy smokes!
14
Fast_Witness_3000
Tell me you don’t take LSD without telling me you don’t take a LSD.
39
[deleted]
[removed]
32
armitageskanks69
In fairness, observing the screensavers and murmuring variations of “holy smokes” is pure stoner.
25
griffer00
Some random friend is an authority because they take a lot of drugs and has just decided the coworker takes LSD every friday?
And this friend's name is "Jiv." LOL
15
Grouchy_Fee_8481
If I’m HR this guy is going to the top!
5
z-eldapin
You wouldn't be getting him fired, HE would be.
If you have any kind of relationship, then on Monday, broach the subject with him.
73
ca77ywumpus
If you generally like the guy and want to keep working with him, talk to him first. On Monday, (or the next day in-office) say something like "Hey man, on Friday you seemed pretty out of it, like you were on something. It's starting to affect my job, and I think other people might have noticed too." Hopefully he'll realize that he's not as subtle as he thinks he is, and cut back. If he's loopy on Friday again anyway, well, he's made his bed, time to sleep in it. You don't have to voice your suspicions of drug use (unless he's operating heavy machinery, caring for others, or could seriously hurt someone.) but just say that he's kind of checked-out on Fridays, and it's making it hard for you to do your job. Let them sort out WHY he's not being productive.
11
AlabamaHossCat
You shouldn't worry about getting him fired if he is a danger to the company and himself. But you are worried so I will actually answer your question. If you bring this up to anyone in the company he is probably going to get fired.
I'd recommend just talking to him, when he's not tripping (or whatever). So if he is acting weird today. Wait until Monday and say. Dude, you are acting weird as hell, it's super obvious, and you're going to get fired if anyone notices. If he's actually on drugs he will be appreciative and will cut it out if he wants to keep his job.
40
ca77ywumpus
I had to do this at a job. Boss wanted to know if I thought a guy was "spending a lot of time in the bathroom" and if it was regular thing. I said I hadn't noticed long bathroom breaks. But when I saw the dude, I told that the manager was asking about his breaks, and he should probably cut it out. So he started doing coke in the walk-in cooler instead of the bathroom. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them work sober.
18
jauntyk
This is better than my response above
10
orchidelirious_me
I love this answer.
4
dicksfiend
32
OldButHappy
this is fiction
21
SUBHUMAN_RESOURCES
Holy smokes
11
Thewarriordances
I used to be good friends with an electrician that did this at work
1
SUBHUMAN_RESOURCES
Lol that’s scary
1
AdotLone
An LSD
3
jjj666jjj666jjj
I doubt it 😂
1
sirdogglesworth
Could easily not be fiction me and a friend used to drop acid at a warehouse job we used to work at. Granted it's a wildy different work environment compared to office work.
1
[deleted]
11
[deleted]
[removed]
4
[deleted]
[removed]
5
[deleted]
[deleted]
1
[deleted]
[deleted]
0
[deleted]
27
NoMoreJello
Yup. Dude could have ADHD. Adderall will totally dilate your pupils. I work with technology teams and around a third of them are medicated. OTOH, they usually only get tweaky when they don't take their meds.
4
ACatGod
Yes but also no. Yes, you don't make accusations you can't back up with evidence. No, you don't speculate about what's causing the issue
OP should report to their manager that they have noticed on Fridays that their colleague is behaving erratically and they appear impaired and that it is impacting OP's ability to do their work and making them uncomfortable. That is different from saying they are high or on drugs. It's a description of their behaviour, not speculating on the cause.
It's for the manager to investigate and if it's found to have a legal cause there still may be liabilities about having the employee on site in that condition. Accommodations may be necessary. Having someone who is obviously under the influence of even legal drugs may have significant liabilities for an employer which need to be mitigated. Just because it's legal doesn't necessarily remove risks within the workplace. If it's illegal then they can work through their disciplinary process.
I'm curious if this employee is driving in to work?
3
[deleted]
[removed]
TakingItPeasy
3
bexkali
Welp, OP said guy wasn't very worky that day, when OP was waiting for something co-worker had to do first.
That inconvenience enough?
1
godly_stand_2643
2
Fast_Witness_3000
Remember the MLB pitcher who forgot what day the game was, dosed the night before, and pitched a perfect game? I agree that if one gets messed up and isn’t able to perform at their usual level, yes - fire them. However, if it doesn’t have an adverse reaction or impact on their ability to work, the sole taking of a substance shouldn’t automatically bar someone from employment. Some folks out there can totally handle it and actually be better because of it. Really depends on the person, the drug, and the job expectations. Imagine telling Jerry Garcia that he’s fired because he took some doses and his guitar playing is too “out there”. But to be fair - I def don’t want someone operating on me while on drugs..
1
Thewarriordances
This argument is a slippery slope. One could argue steroids in athletes
0
the_skies_falling
2
RealHausFrau
1
[deleted]
1
[deleted]
[removed]
1
[deleted]
1
[deleted]
[removed]
2
[deleted]
So as someone who uses THC at work (don't yell at me if you go snooping through my profile I am unmedicated ADHD and BPD) this is completely unprofessional and unfair to you.
I take a single hit of my vape when I get to work. I feel the high, but I can still converse and do my job. About four hours later I take another hit and continue the cycle. This is not what he is doing, this behavior is impacting your professional life and you need to bring a stop to it before your boss comes down on you and asks why.
If you feel bad about giving him up do it like this "hey boss, I noticed on Fridays it's a bit extra hard to figure out where the kink is in my workflow, can you pop around a bit more to see if you see something I dont?"
1
orchidelirious_me
Borderline personality disorder doesn’t respond to medication anyway, so if THC helps you manage it, good. I definitely understand your position, and far be it from me to yell at you about a solution that you found.
I have ADHD and BPD too, my doctor refuses to give me a stimulant for my ADHD—I have to take opioids for my back and my head injuries, and his hospital’s policy is that they can’t prescribe stimulants or anti-anxiety medication to anyone who is on opioids, no matter what the reason is. I was on Ritalin for 10+ years, and I’ve even had a doctor who prescribed it off-label for depression to me before I was diagnosed with ADHD. But then I had the car accident where I rolled my car and the roof collapsed and my head hit the pavement. Now I have to choose which condition I prefer to treat, and life in excruciating pain is not one that I want to lead.
Hugs 🫂. I’m happy that you found a solution that works for you.
2
[deleted]
I've found indicas weirdly help me, the sativas and sativa dominant hybrids were horrible for me. Amanita (a type of mushroom) feels nice and then i tried to microdose at one point but I lost track of my dates and such. So I need to try that again.
Theres a new one out called CB8-9 and ive found it works well for pain relief, but I'm a bit wary since it's synthetic.
1
genderantagonist
careful with amanita, muscimol (the active ingredient) can cause some pretty nasty not fun symptoms
1
[deleted]
I know amanita very well. Thank you for your concern though. ☺️
2