# Do you believe that any of your teachers were ever under the influence of drugs or alcohol at work? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 15, 2021, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910 "2021-03-15T02:50:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/41 "2021-03-16T21:57:30Z")
Not that I ever noticed. However, there’s one story that has made me wonder, but I wasn’t in the class at the time. There was the one substitute who used my account to look at porn and got me in trouble, though. Granted, he didn’t know it was my account—I’d temporarily set up the teacher to use my account while he was getting one for himself. But, still, if it wasn’t my account, it would have been the teacher’s, and of course they monitor that sort of thing. Then again, some people are just that stupid naturally. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/42 "2021-03-16T22:32:51Z")
One of my relatives, who died last year (not from COVID) said for many years that he liked to have a drink in the evening. Vodka, on the rocks - in a drinking glass. It was sufficient for him to have a seizure from alcohol withdrawal when he had open-heart surgery and was not able to have his “nightcap.” AFAIK, he gave that up. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/43 "2021-03-16T22:52:41Z")
I’ve had one or two who were unethical enough to come to class under the influence, but if they had that particular vice, they hid it well (mostly, under layers of other, more noticeable, vices). But if all time spent on teaching-related duties counts, well, during grad school, one of the profs told us, after a particularly hard exam, that he would not accept bribes… but that if a six-pack of his favorite beer just happened to mysteriously show up outside of his office door, he would drink it while grading, and be happy. Of course, such a six-pack did, in fact, mysteriously appear. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/44 "2021-03-17T00:06:20Z")
My sixth grade teacher was the first male teacher I had. He seemed okay as a teacher and in the spring we had a gorgeous female student teacher. One day, we had Mrs. D as a sub. She said Mr. H had been in a wreck and needed to recover. He was gone for almost the rest of the year. The next year, he got moved to 7th grade and I had him for health and for P.E. in the 8th and 9th grade. There were rumors that he kept a bottle in his desk and a friend of mine’s mom said he was drunk and hit on her in a bar on a school night. After I graduated, I found out the wreck he had was a DUI that nearly cost him his job, and took away any opportunity he had had to become an administrator. I have heard stories he taught driver’s ed with a Thermos of Irish coffee in the car. He died of a bleeding ulcer exacerbated by his drinking. Sad. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/45 "2021-03-17T01:27:15Z")
Not to my knowledge. Supposedly a “civilian” teacher from an upper grade (Catholic school, 1-8th grades) was arrested after drugs were found in her desk, but I never had a class with that teacher - she’d have been teaching 6th grade or so and I was in second or third. Though a little weed might have done some of them some good. I had some truly nasty nuns in that grade school - 1, 4 and 7-8 come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/46 "2021-03-17T05:22:50Z")
One of them, yeah. He was my 8th grade shop teacher. The guy would entertain himself by telling us lurid stories, like how a little girl he’d known as a child had worn a dress and stood too close to hot stove, causing the dress to go up in flames and she burned to death. And that a boy at the high school had been beaten to death with a boot. (the latter at least was not true). About half the class he’d hang out in the spray room, leaving a bunch of 13 and 14 year olds to use the band saw and other power tools unsupervised. Some of the boys who had things to spray paint reported that they had seen him drinking from a flask more than once. Did the boys just not like him and make that up? Possibly. But said teacher made the paper when I was in high school: he broke into his ex’s house and tortured her pets to death as revenge on her for leaving him, so…if he did _that_, drinking on the job doesn’t seem too out of character. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/47 "2021-03-17T05:30:34Z")
Of course they did. But you say “drugs” like it’s a bad thing. I am a teacher myself, and I take at least a dozen different drugs each day, not even counting caffeine or painkillers. I’d be in pretty bad shape if I didn’t. Are there any particular illicit drugs you want to zero on? Even weed is legal where I live. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/48 "2021-03-17T06:34:08Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > But more than moderate drinking has many negative health effects. Add in problems like falls, poor nutrition, financial difficulties, concurrent psychiatric disorders, other drugs _etc_ Yeah, I understood the health part but since I have never had to deal with anyone with a drinking problem, I wasn’t sure where MDs drew the line on drinking. Your poor nutrition comment triggered a reminder of my neighbor about 30 years ago. Drunk and stoned every day. Never worked while I knew him. His wife was a RN and had just given up on him. He used to make a big deal about how it didn’t matter how much he drank because he ate very well. Except, of course he didn’t, he would pass out in the backyard and the dog would eat all the food off his plate. Saw this happen a dozen times. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/49 "2021-03-17T10:50:18Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Of course they did. But you say “drugs” like it’s a bad thing. I am a teacher myself, and I take at least a dozen different drugs each day, not even counting caffeine or painkillers. I’d be in pretty bad shape if I didn’t. Are there any particular illicit drugs you want to zero on? Even weed is legal where I live. The OP asks about drugs the teachers were “under the influence” of. So I take it to be asking about drugs that would impair judgement ore make it harder to actually do your job. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/50 "2021-03-17T14:30:23Z")
Back in the early-mid 80’s, rumor had it that my high school’s Driver’s Ed instructor actually had hooch in his bottle of Mylanta that he kept in the glove compartment. I even saw him take a swig or two, but I must confess that I have no idea whether or not he actually kept booze in there. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/51 "2021-03-17T17:10:05Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The OP asks about drugs the teachers were “under the influence” of. So I take it to be asking about drugs that would impair judgement ore make it harder to actually do your job. Exactly and that’s why I omitted caffeine and nicotine. Yes, they’re both mild stimulants but no one seriously thinks they impair anyone’s working environment. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/52 "2021-03-17T17:49:31Z")
Not one of my teachers, but when I was a TA in grad school, one of the other TA’s in my office, a guy from Russia, had a serious alcohol problem. One time I came to a class room to teach just as his class was leaving from an exam he had proctored, finding him barely able to stand. The students leaving his class indicated this wasn’t a isolated incident. He was gone shortly after that. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/53 "2021-03-17T17:58:43Z")
I never noticed anything like that. Of course, there are always recreational users who show no sign at work of what they do in the evenings or over the weekend. They wouldn’t have survived if they had shown signs because the teaching positions in the schools I attended were highly desired, and the standards were very high. Keep in mind that the first 4 years are probationary. A district doesn’t have to explain why they do not offer you a contract for the next year. They simply rift you by April 1st, and you’re gone. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/54 "2021-03-17T18:03:16Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > I have heard stories he taught driver’s ed with a Thermos of Irish coffee in the car. When I did driver’s ed, the in-class parts were evening classes sponsored by the school. They were team taught by two old guys who were pretty drunk essentially every class. And they were shitty, shitty teachers, too. Their entire philosophy of teaching seemed to be, “Yell at the teenagers about how they’re all idiots who will get drunk and kill everyone on the road”, completely oblivious to the irony of this being yelled by two drunk guys. Thank god the in-car guy was competent, because none of us would have learned a damned thing from that class otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/55 "2021-03-17T20:56:40Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > > [@Biffster](#): > > > > Of course they did. But you say “drugs” like it’s a bad thing. I am a teacher myself, and I take at least a dozen different drugs each day, not even counting caffeine or painkillers. I’d be in pretty bad shape if I didn’t. Are there any particular illicit drugs you want to zero on? Even weed is legal where I live. > > The OP asks about drugs the teachers were “under the influence” of. So I take it to be asking about drugs that would impair judgement ore make it harder to actually do your job. Fair enough. But I take drugs for diabetes too so I would hope I’m under their influence when I’m teaching. That’s the thing when we say “drugs”—there’s not really a common understanding of what the term refers to. Some drugs are very beneficial. Some are not. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/56 "2021-03-17T22:16:11Z")
You seriously didn’t know what he meant by “under the influence”??? As in D **UI**? ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/57 "2021-03-17T22:55:16Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > You seriously didn’t know what he meant by “under the influence”??? As in D **UI**? Obviously. But I also think “drugs” are demonized when they don’t need to be. Not all drugs are bad, but when we say “say no to drugs” we’re kind of implying that they are. We tell kids to say no to drugs while we pound back our caffeine and painkillers. Surely you must pick up on the hypocrisy. As far as teachers “under the influence” I remember one bipolar teacher I had that should have been taking drugs, as his behaviour with some students was quite questionable. It’s not always the drugs that are the problem. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/58 "2021-03-18T00:27:29Z")
This is ridiculous. Everybody knows the difference between recreational and medical drugs, and what kind is meant in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/59 "2021-03-18T00:35:32Z")
Yes, and obviously you don’t want someone teaching who is in caffeine withdrawal or nicotine withdrawal. Or, for that matter, in alcohol withdrawal or opiate withdrawal. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910/60 "2021-03-18T00:38:41Z")
Sigh. It’s the Dope – I mean, the Straight Dope. Ain’t no nit too small to pick. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-any-of-your-teachers-were-ever-under-the-influence-of-drugs-or-alcohol-at-work/937910.md?page=4)