Erik's View: Student Cocaine Study & Work Stress

Erik Redli is a university graduate from Slovakia who is currently living in London. Each week he gives his view on the events of the last seven days. This week, he takes a look at a university cocaine study and the 'revelation' that work is stressful.

A Cocaine Study on Students

It was revealed this week that King's College London university had asked its students to participate in a study on cocaine, where they got paid to take the drug.

"It looks like an easy way to get high, but the medical administration of substances differs greatly from recreational use. Do you like Nutella pancakes? Try eating them every day at particular times instead of just at the usual meals. I do not think the students will have any chance to particularly enjoy the research.....

Drugs are allowed to be used for medical research there should therefore not be a problem with the law. At the end of the day, it is the only way to figure out the effects they have on the human organism. Cocaine is a serious issue and according to Wikipedia its market value is bigger than that of Starbucks'. It will definitely be an asset to know what is going on in the body of crack addicts who have managed to outnumber the caffeine addicts. If interested, this guide to the effects of cocaine use is very thorough.

By recruiting in their own ranks the scientists will have a good test sample for cheap. Students are always very keen to participate in anything extracurricular just to stay out of the curricular activities. Some of my mates at university would donate blood in order to be absent from a lesson when they were due to make a presentation.

However if something is voluntary, it does not mean it is easy or insignificant. Recently I visited Cambridge, where they also have a King's College, and learned that for example the Darwin's five year voyage around the world was also more or less a voluntary activity that resulted in the theory of the species.

King's College stands for quality, its medical school is one of best, and therefore I would trust the scientists. But I would not participate in the study. Nor would I try the Nutella pancake diet."

Office Staff Working Under Stress

A recent study revealed that two out of five office staff are currently working under ‘dangerously high' stress levels.

"I think that it is impossible to avoid stress, particularly if we are in demanding jobs and live in the city environment. We try to avoid it at all costs, and the result is that we are even more stressed by our lame attempts to stay calm.

Instead, people should work on their stress tolerance threshold. And the best way to practice is by dealing with stressful situations. Maybe that comment might sound illogical, even stressful, but there is something to it. A balanced diet (stay away from the Nutella pancakes and drugs), a good night's sleep and chilling out with friends all help too.

We tackle the workload easily when we have enough energy and know that in the evening there will be someone with whom we can enjoy a drink and have a good laugh about the stressful situations."

Read more by Erik here.

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