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Sure, but how many founders out there are addicted to various kinds of self-harm, be that drugs, working for 20h/day, lack of healthy eating, not leaving the office for weeks at a time...etc.

Point is, it's incredibly easy to engage in destructive behavior, especially if you've got the mindset of taking things to extremes.

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All the things you mention are incerdibly damaging, but not necessarily the same thing. not leaving the office, not exercising, poor diet are all symptoms of things like working 20 hour days. In my mind that's the alternative to drugs, which is an escape from not being able to disengage from your startup.

I think the parent comment is referring to more than just the ‘standard’ recreational drugs — I know lots of founders who abuse amphetamines to maintain the habits you describe.

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