Dive Brief:
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While most tired employees try to sharpen their intensity at work with an espresso or energy drink, there may be others relying on potent stimulants and other drugs, such as Adderall, to stay alert at work, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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The article reports, for example, that Modafinil, a drug used by the military and also to treat narcolepsy, is turning up in industries that rely on billable hours or the pressure to perform, as workers misuse drugs to work longer hours or gain a competitive edge.
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Mainly, experts in the US and Australia say that while there is no hard data of a rise in this type of drug in the workplace, there are signs (increase in prescription data, addiction rates, etc.) that more people are choosing this dangerous path to enhanced performance (though the experts also say it's obviously risky and ineffective in the long term).
Dive Insight
According to the Morning Herald in Australia, nearly 1.4 million prescriptions were filled during 2015 for cognitive enhancing drugs, including Modafinil and ADHD medications, with the latter being more of a factor as today's younger employees move into the workforce.
Carl Hart, a professor in psychology and psychiatry at Columbia University in New York, told the Morning Herald that stimulants used in the workplace are nothing new, as amphetamines, Modafinil, Ritalin and other stimulants are extensions of caffeine use.
Jason Mazanov, a psychologist and senior lecturer at the University of NSW school of business in Canberra, says that it's time to change the mindset of "medicating a symptom of an Industrial-Revolution management ideology."
HR leaders in certain business sectors (law, tech, consulting) might want to take a look into their own workplace cultures to see if this trend is happening, and if so, get out in front of it. Employers have already expressed concern about whether or not their workforces are getting enough sleep.