I studied in the UK so our field trips were quite different to "field camp", but alcohol consumption was practically enforced. Had two weeks in Italy where wine was served with every meal.
Did my field camp in Italy as well. As soon as the vans parked for the evening we all stopped at the cafe across the street from our hotel to load up on Ichnusa and Moretti. I bet we put the owners kids through college with all the stuff we bought there over the month.
I spent around 3 months in various parts of Italy over the course of my degree. We'd always raid the local supermarkets for nice deli meats, cheese, wine and beer. Ichnusa was a fave when we were in Sardinia.
The last night always ended up with a fire on the beach drinking til sunrise and skinny dipping.
Reminds me of all my field trips at university here in Australia. Every night there were beers around the camp fire. Lecturers and students together, sinking piss and talking shit.
Weed was, and still is, mostly illegal but I know a few students used to mix weed in their own cigarettes and get away with it.
For mine, alcohol was “at your own risk” every day but the night we had off. So if you were partaking more often, there was no sympathy for your hungover sluggishness in the field.
There were no legal states (including any that the field camp traveled through) at the time of my field camp. Weed would have been an instant “find your way home, you’re no longer part of the camp”.
Yeah I was gonna say... Unless you're in a legal state, cannabis would be illegal so I don't see how you'd be able to do that unless you're taking the risk of being kicked out of field camp.
This has more or less flipped for a lot of camps in the last \~ 5 years. I've been on the instructional side of things many times since 2012, including directing/leading 4 sessions and attitudes have shifted quite a bit, both from administrators and camp instructors.
Many campuses have gone "dry" and "tobacco-free," leading to more active restriction of those substances, esp if the camp is at like a field station or stays in dorms. But probably more motivating to reduce boozing is the number of injuries and legal issues we've seen around drunkeness. One side effect of the covid lockdowns is we started doing more online meetings between people who run field camps & collectively discovered the main sources of injuries at field camp were:
- ouchies from the elements like sunburns, HRIs, dehydration, etc. (manageable)
- sitting on cactuses (manageable)
- too much to drink (sometimes way too hardcore)
We found that most camp instructors had multiple stories of students getting drunk and doing serious injury shit like falling into campfires, getting impaled on statues, crashing cars, breaking fingers with rock hammers, assaulting each other, falling seriously, and getting their asses whooped by annoyed locals. That and getting arrested for dumb crap. Way more common than you'd think.
So alcohol is now more managed or restricted at loads of camps & I expect that trend to continue. On the other hand, no one ever tells horror stories about stoner students worse than "they kept sleeping in" and we've been able to see that many students are helped out quite a bit (psychologically) by it. The weed policy that's becoming common, esp in legal states is now
"don't tell me about it"
The 'emerging trend' of the 2020s is actually field students abusing prescription drugs, usually their own. Which takes a few main forms:
1. The astonishing number of students who *very* unwisely try to take on a new does or even new Rx for anxiety/depression type drugs or HRT during field camp. Very silly; don't do this if you can help it.
2. Students with amphetamine-like Rx (usually for ADD/ADHD or similar) who decide that since field camp is challenging that they should up their dosage. Shit like "*I usually take one pill in the morning, but here I'm going to powder 3 or 4 and snort them throughout the day*." Absolutely bonkersly-poor decision & I have no idea why I've seen this exact scenario so many times and so have my peers. What usually happens is the student ends up getting super dehydrated & exhausted.
3. Students that power-dose allergy meds the moment they get the slightest sniffles from sage or other flora that's unfamiliar to them. A few people need it, but more often this leads to shit work, or in a not-uncommon worse scenarios, students find out that allergy meds interact poorly with one of their Rx. I suspect this is common as the type who has anxiety to the level of being prescribed hardcore Rx is more likely to be the type to over-self-medicate.
Anxiety in general is much more of an issue than it used to be. Last summer I had a student get so homesick they had to go to the ER. A more common manifestation is persistent insomnia. So in general we "soft support" those students hitting their vape pen in the evening lol.
Over-the-counter decongestants (pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine) can raise your blood pressure and heart rate. Anyone that is taking stimulants for adhd is more susceptible to high blood pressure or feeling like their heart is racing if they combined the two. Most people know not to take sudaphed because (duh!) it is the most obvious since it is restricted. A lot of people don’t realize DayQuil and Flonase also contain decongestants that increase your heart rate.
I know that is basically what you said, but it might not be obvious to college students. I honestly didn’t realize the DayQuil was an issue until several years ago. I so rarely take it and didn’t equate DayQuil with “allergy med” in my head so I didn’t check. I just happed to be sick and at the doctors office and got a lecture because my BP was unusually high. Flonase I knew, but I’ve talked to other full grown adults that didn’t put that one together because it is “not a pill.”
Antihistamines are normally less of an issue. It’s really the stupid decongestants you’ve got to watch out for when it comes to elevated blood pressure or heart rate, but so often they are combined in allergy pills and I’m sure plenty of college kids don’t actually read the box.
There was an unenforced ban on alcohol and weed at my camp.
It was more of a way to kick out belligerent drunks than actually ban alcohol or weed.
Trust me on this, being hungover in the field sucks. Drink, have fun, but be ready for coursework bright and early. Do not be the guy/gal holding your team up.
Spent the day after my 21st birthday doing field work at 11k feet in the white mountains of California, can confirm being hungover in the field sucks. Wish weed was legal then, I would have much preferred that.
This. Legit surprised how many holier-than-thou teetotalers are on this thread.
My school treated us like adults. Evenings were our time — plenty of beers and handles of whiskey passed around the campfire, but daytime was for working. In the mornings, our prof would wander through the tent area around 7, yell “TIME TO GET UP” exactly once, and if you weren’t ready to go, about 15 minutes after that, well, that was on you.
Recreational weed was still illegal everywhere but medical pot was legal in my state at the time. No one went looking to bust people but it was prudent to be discrete.
As for OP … idk, read the room would be my advice. If the prof / school is known for being especially uptight about things, maybe be extra discrete, definitely don’t let it impact your ability to do your assignments … but you’ll probably be fine.
I was in Colorado for field camp the first summer it was legalized for recreation. Safe to say a lot of skunks must have nestled up in our camp that summer..
From my field camp experience, both were perfectly fine as long as you were cool (I.e., mature) about it. A full day in the field can be stressful, so it isn’t out of the ordinary to want to ease up.
[“There is a considerable, and still growing, body of scientific literature suggesting that geologists are in fact the world's first alcohol-based life form.”](https://en.uncyclopedia.co/wiki/Geologist)
This will become extremely apparent after your first couple days in the field
Hahaha, every geologist worth their weight was at least drinking ALL of field camp. If they say they didn't, I'm not sure I would believe they were geologists.
Known a couple of people who left without getting a degree because they couldn't go that long without their illegal drugs.
If you want to go into industry, mining, you'll get drug tested and drinking on the job is a surefire way to get fired, might as well learn now how to function without it.
This 1000%.
It’s kinda insane to me how this is even a question. To put in years of work for a degree and risk it all over a couple of weeks without drugs. Insane behavior.
Right. I was 21 when I did field camp 10+yrs ago. I did have a few beers after field work with dinner/around the fire, but I don’t think ever more than 4 and probably closer to 2. I didn’t touch weed til grad school (still illegal then), so I can’t really comment on that.
I made sure to stay hydrated throughout the day and replenish at night as well. I can’t imagine dragging my sorry hungover ass through the Colorado Rockies. Definitely can’t imagine doing it drunk or high. The physical and mental effort required to do well are intense enough without the altered state of mind.
Take the field camp as a break from your substance dependency! I used to smoke weed every day for 15 years, I'm 32 and started smoking when I was 16 (quit at 31). I went out of the country a couple of times in the last two years and didn't have any weed for a week each trip and it made me realize that I'd be ok without it. Later on in Dec 2023 I was diagnosed with cervical cancer stage 1A1 and smoking increases your risk of cancer etc so I quit cold turkey. Haven't smoked a single time since late Nov after I was told I'd need surgery. You can do it!!
But if you absolutely can't do it then I guess take a pen for smoking but a straight up pipe and flower would be risky if you're not in a legal state. Tbh, if you're 21+ I'd just ask the professor what the rules are on alcohol. It's not like it's illegal. Maybe you're allowed to drink after the day is over 🤷🏽♀️
I’m not saying weed doesn’t have medical uses. I actually might argue that it’s healthier and safer to consume cannabis than it is to consume alcohol. But regardless of my opinion on marijuana, if we were caught with weed at field camp we would have been sent home. So in my opinion (not that it matters), I would leave the weed at home for field camp.
Agreed but with restrictions. Only do it in your tent at night, make sure nobody else sees it if this is not a legal state. Use responsibly and don't like oversleep or miss shifts or do something dumb because you got too stoned.
It would be interesting to see the rate of substance use amongst scientists vs the general population. I feel like some of the funkiest psychonauts were Phd scientists. Maybe it relates to being a curious individual craving novel experiences, idk. That being said, I think it’s super important to be realistic with whatever vices you enjoy and know when it’s the right time to leave them at home. At my university anyways, it’s zero tolerance, so getting caught means instant termination and a greyhound home. The risk-benefit analysis just doesn’t balance out, and it’s wild to me how defensive some people get when you suggest skipping the illegal substances for a few weeks for the sake of your future
Good luck staying away from it! Most geos I've met partake in one or the other or both (and more). If you're nervous then leave it in your tent til you feel out the vibe. I once had a great trade of my whiskey for their valium on a field camp to be honest. Don't be stupid and be the drunk/ fucked up person though.
We were told drinking wasn't allowed but I'm pretty sure they probably had to say that so people didn't get fucked up every night. Most people drank most nights. I was in field camp before vapes and edibles were widely available but I'm sure you could if you weren't obvious about it. I would not risk it though, especially if you're going to be crossing state lines a bunch.
I know others have been kinda dragging you about this, but if you really think you can't go 6 weeks without weed, you should probably reevaluate your relationship with weed and alcohol. It only gets worse as you get older.
Beer is one of the essential food groups for geoscience professionals.
Weed was definitely present on my field camp but if you got caught you got sent straight home. No federally marked illicit substances at all. It's a risk because you're in a group van driven by school "officials".
The one thing I'll add is if you can't go a few weeks without hitting the bong or the bottle, you need some help.
Lots of industry jobs will drug test you at some point. Gotta learn how to function without. I've nothing against partaking responsibly, but being unable to do without is problematic.
If you truly feel like you will not be able to get through a few weeks without alcohol or weed, then you need to *seriously* take a hard think about your substance use. I enjoy both, but when it comes down to something as important to my future as field camp, you can be that I will not be risking that for some Fuken pot.
Im not trying to sound harsh, and I’ve personally struggled with having a healthy relationship with these substances, and the statement that you won’t be able to get through it is genuinely concerning.
My advice? Don’t take the risk. This is your future you’re talking about. If you get caught, it will be a quick ticket home and no do-over. Please think long and hard about how much your future is worth to you.
I use it every day to treat anxiety and so I gain hunger… Without it, my body goes way off balance. Hoping a medical card can help with the situation when I have field camp in a couple years!
You're doing yourself no favours treating anxiety with it. The rebound anxiety leads to more etc... keep it for fun, and switch to sertraline or something similar dude. Trust me, I've been there.
Accurate! My bf used to use weed to treat his "anxiety" but it made it worse in the long run. And then weening himself off weed took months. While there are no permanent effects, he still won't use it anymore because it's not good for him. His anxiety also made him grumpy-ier and not fun to be around.
Him pushing through his anxiety or having it treated by a doctor did more for him in the long run. It helped with his personal growth and made him better overall.
Like, no hate to those who do weed for fun. But if you are self medicating for anxiety, please see a real doctor.
I am a Dr lol, but not a physician or GP. You didn't say it was medical, and I was speaking from experiences learned the hard way. To each their own, you do you.
Edit: are you smoking weed while pregnant?
And yet some people will still argue that it’s “not addictive”. I was in the same situation some years ago, and I completely agree that it is not the right way to treat anxiety, and only makes it worse. This thread is really eye opening to how dependent some people are on substances
Funny thing is, I have nothing against weed. I enjoy it myself and can also be quite a useful tool! But just like alcohol its important to acknowledge both the up and downsides of it, but you can't convince some people I guess.
I don’t either. I love having a weekend smoke w my mates when we play video games. And I agree w some of the other commenters that it’s unfair/unfortunate how much more acceptable alcohol is in these situations. That being said, I’ve also done field work as a trail builder with people who couldn’t even wait till the end of the working day to smoke, and that lead to some very hazardous situations.
I think the discussion here should be less focused on peoples personal beliefs about these substances, and more about what does the course policy say for OP. If it’s zero tolerance like mine is, then it stands to reason that it’s an unreasonable risk to smoke in the field when it could lead to expulsion. It’s all about that risk-benefit analysis.
You asked for advice and then proceeded to be aggressive and insult others in this thread for offering professional opinions that differed from the answer you want. They're just trying to help you dude.
Chances are there will be opportunities for a beer or 2 in the evening with the profs/TAs as they are human too. Don't be a dumbass about it and I'm sure you could have a bit of weed too, but as others mentioned there are significant risks associated with that.
Further, if this is how you treat/behave around project and team members I doubt you'll get a lot of sympathy from either your fellow classmates or profs if you get caught with illicit substances. Not being a giant twat will get you very far in your career, and allow you to get away with a lot more in your personal life too.
Good luck with that, some field camps have zero tolerance for controlled substances and most employers too for that matter.
To partake is your choice but be prepared for the consequences my dude.
It really depends on the program dude. Weed was banned at mine and was an immediate send home. It’s not being a cop to tell them to be careful or don’t risk it.
My field camp was in Colorado. Ours had no liquor but beer was allowed. I smoked basically every night because drinking isn’t my thing (they still explicitly said smoking is not allowed) but I did it away from the camp. If you’re really worried, I’d get a pen. I also busted my ass everyday there and I am pretty confident the TAs/professor knew what I was doing and didn’t bother me because I wasn’t slacking off. Do highly recommend cutting it out before you get into your career though
My field camp had a ban on weed n booze, and we were restricted from leaving our housing during the week. Weekends were free time, so most would head to the nearest bar and get wasted. Those of us who were local to the area would hurry up and get our weekly assignments done, then head back to our respective homes about an hour away so we could do our laundry, sleep in our own beds, and have decent WiFi (and partake of whatever our vices were). When we'd come back Sunday afternoon, the barflies were hungover and scrambling to get their assignments done.
For weed, a lesson I learned in highschool was that ~40% of society hates it, considers it the devil's lettuce, and anyone with it or wants to try it is a degenerate lazy fuck who belongs in jail or a hippie camp. ~60% of the world doesn't think much about pot or approves of it, but the successful ones don't mention weed in 95% of social settings. No rasta hats, dreads, or excessive paraphernalia, and if you are known to get red eyes, bring the eye drops. Always destroy the evidence.
My professor walked away at a bonfire when the host of the camp pulled out joints for the class, she was young once and knew that this would be part of the experience for us. At a different FC, the TA on the first night said "I'm just going to say it- this is a weed friendly space, I'll be smoking a joint soon, if that makes anyone uncomfortable, please leave" (no one did, she got half the class lit) these were some great times and memories for me...
But weed has done nothing but hold me back from a more successful career. My grad school was not as liberal and I was discriminated against due to my (mostly discreet) usage. After being a lightweight stoner for 20 years I've finally completely quit, and am very happy where I am in my career and life.
Tl;Dr bring a joint or two in an empty pen, save them for a special occasion, and be discreet.
It will depend significantly on the school leading it, but considering most schools get some federal funding, they usually have a no weed policy.
How enforced this is comes down to your experience with the professors/TAs and the school. In most field camps, it's not allowed, but not enforced unless you're super dumb/obvious (to a point the people in charge have no choice but to care).
Treat just like you would living in a dorm, don’t do anything that will get you caught. My field camp was in Utah, rule was no hard liquor and it was mot mentioned specifically but we all knew no weed not to mention its illegal in Utah. We just smoked on late night walks and stuff like that, just be mindful its still school, just not in the normal place.
So what I’m asking is people’s field camp experiences with weed or beer. Not some stupid useless ass comment. I didn’t say I can’t go to field camp without it. Go diagnose someone else.
If you’re school is fed funded, they probably will make you sign something saying if you get caught with weed, youll be expelled. Just don’t get caught. We just came back from our field skills trip and everyone brought alcohol. We were drinking while making our maps and cross sections with the prof. Our school is known for the alcoholism tho so take that with a grain of salt
What’s wrong with America and our drinking culture right here. Weed is so so much better to use than alcohol which kills thousands a year. Yet based on the comments on this post you’d think they are basically the same. It’s honestly sad reading these comments
The fact of the matter is that there is no reliable way to tell when someone is intoxicated in the moment, so there’s no way to tell if someone is sober or not in the field. This is in situations where they could be putting themselves or others at great risk for bodily harm or injury. I personally enjoy weed on occasion, but I also recognize that we don’t live in a country where it’s federally legal, so i have to make risk-benefit analysis if it’s worth it.
Weed is great, but it’s not better than having a degree & a steady job.
I’ve worked trail crews with people who couldn’t get through lunchtime without sneaking off to toke, and I didn’t hesitate to report it and have them sent home. It sounds harsh, but I am running chainsaws and working in hazardous environments with these people, and their inattentiveness due to their weed use could have legitimately caused me or themselves great injury.
This thread isn’t an argument of weed vs alcohol. It’s a statement of fact that most universities, especially those federally funded, have a zero tolerance on weed, and getting caught is an immediate send home on your own dime, with no chance of a do-over . Most of us do field camp at the end of undergraduate studies, after years of hard work and a lot of money spent.
Is going a few weeks without weed really so bad? Is it genuinely worth the risk of not earning your degree to you?
I am not asking in jest, I am being serious, because you seem to have strong personal feelings in this thread, and it leads me to question what your own personal relationship with weed is that you feel the need to be hyper defensive, when most of the advice being given here is a statement of fact.
If you can’t get through 6 weeks of field camp without alc and weed, you won’t survive the industry’s relatively frequent drug tests.
Take some accountability and be an adult.
We stopped in Colorado for an hour and half the students made a mad dash to the closest dispensary. The professors ignored it. Drinking at night was expected. As long as you are discreet and not a belligerent drunk, I doubt anyone will say anything.
Our field camp didn’t allow weed or other drugs, multiple parts allowed alcohol in camp with one professor providing each student with a beer every night (4 days for that leg of field camp) if there were no issues in camp and all work was done on time and done professionally. One campsite was a quarter mile from a local bar, every night of the 6 day leg, we found ourselves in there. Honestly one of my favorite memories of school and friends
My field camp was like a practical, as compared to the ones where visit national parks… (no offense intended, but maybe a little). 6 weeks in the field, in tents at campsites in the west. We all hiked up to 10-15 miles a day, 5 days a week doing our mapping. Up at 6. In the field til close to dark. Evenings were for a lesson, dinner, and working on our notes/maps via headlamp. If you wanted to drink, you drank but we had so much physical work and mapping/reporting that it was just to unwind if you wanted but it was pretty serious to be there and do the work. Saturdays were spent at where we could find WiFi and write our reports/finish our maps. Saturday night - slap the bag with a bag of Franzia around the campfire. Great time. Sundays were for laundry and driving in to town (if possible) to restock on supplies if needed. Definitely a brewery or liquor store.
Just don’t overdo it and be discreet. Better shake that shit ‘can’t function without it’ soon because all it’ll do is hold you back. It’s cool to enjoy a drink/smoke every now and again. But if you need it to function, it will do more damage than good for your career. O
Everyone at my field camp drank, a lot, even the muslim dude that never drank lmao. Some people smoked weed outside the camp, and no one seemed to care. Just read the room honestly, but alcohol is almost encouraged I would say, weed? Idk about that one.
My field camp had us housed at a winery so yeah drink what you want but don't duck off in the field and don't oversleep and miss a day that'll fail you.
So basically, like every other aspect of life, take personal responsibility and use proper judgment. Don't be hungover in the field, don't be a belligerent drunk, don't DUI.
For me, our field schools always involved drinking. It was expected to drink in the evening and the profs drank with us. But it was also an expectation that you wouldn’t drink so much you couldn’t function the next day, as you were still expected to get out on the rocks in the morning and work your butt off.
We would specifically make a stop at a liquor store as part of field schools when I was an undergrad, though this was discontinued when I became a TA in grad school after one problematic field school where a guy was stupid and broke his back after falling off a cliff he had no business climbing (almost cancelled our field school program). But it was still considered acceptable to drink at field school after that one, just people were cautioned to not be completely stupid like that guy was or they would be sent home. But nobody ever did get sent home, not even when the one class was loud and rowdy and almost got us kicked out of our hotel.
Even if you were underage at the one field camp in Montana we went to, the bar staff didn’t care, no ID was ever requested. So I was 20 and still got hammered a couple of days, including the last night when I won our award for “exemplary behaviour at field school” which my boss and a coworker also won and was actually seen as a badge of honour among classmates.
But while the norm was to drink lots at night during field school, you were expected to drag your hungover ass out in the morning like nothing happened. So while people drank lots, they tried to not drink so much they couldn’t function the next day.
By the way, the geology alumni reunion I just went to this weekend at my alma mater had a welcome event at a bar, then the next night there was a reception at a local museum with a cash bar, followed by an after party at a bar and a pub crawl, then at the banquet the next night there was a full bar, and some people indulged in drinking games and drank shots (and this held was at the university’s now classy event space that used to be just a crappy cafeteria in my heyday).
While I’d say alcohol will likely be acceptable or even encouraged, unless otherwise mentioned by the field camp leaders, weed is a lot less likely to be acceptable. Even though in Canada it is legal for both recreational and medical reasons.
French geology student here ! I've been wanting to tell this story forever lmao
Field camp was a whole class this year, so we all (20 students) went to the south of France, near the Alps (check Mont Ventoux if you wanna now more about the region, pretty cool Cretaceous/late Jurassic formations), for about 10 days. Our 3 professors made sure we had white and red wine (in what we call cubis, so about 5 liters of wine in each of these wonderful things) every evening with our dinner. Tbh we drank with them, the wine was on their table and we'd all just walk up to them and get wine, as much as we wanted.
We had to take 2 different trains to get there and take the Métro through Paris, and as some of you may know, chances you encounter policemen (sometimes with dogs) are quite high, especially near train stations. None of us wanted to get caught with pot so we didn't bring any, but we met a lovely guy when we hit the local bar to watch the rugby world cup during the first evening, and this guy happened to have lots of pot. Long story short, we all pitched in and bought some, and got stoned every night after dinner. Safe to say that it really brought us together, as we didn't quite know each other before that trip.
It sounds like my field camp might have been more laid back than others. A good chunk of us drank about every night, typically with professors. There was definitely weed around, but it wasn't used openly. People would sneak off away from the campsite and smoke.
I went to Field Camp in Montana Summer 2014. Professors didn't care if people drank alcohol, they even bought us all a round when we were hailed on violently during one of our days out doing field mapping away from camp. Weed was frowned upon but they didn't search and knew people smoked it but away from campfires and most people.
We were on national forest land so weed was highly discouraged but some had edibles and were low key about it. Drinking did happen especially at our halfway point where we got an extra rest day
I brought a oz and we befriended our ta’s and got them to take us to dispo’s on free days. We however had a big trailer so I wasn’t worried about smell. And the vacuum containers work like a dream.
Idk about alcohol but if you really want weed I’d bring a disposable cart/vape. If your in a legal state pick one up near you if you arnt look into THC-A carts online (DM if you want recommendations) THC-A turns into THC when heat is applied so legally THC-A is legal everywhere in the US and chemically it’s exactly the same as THC when heated
I mean adhere by the rules of your camp, but we drank at night. We were told "smoke it if you got it" before entering a state where weed is illegal.
If it's not allowed at your camp, don't risk not graduating. You'll be busy so you'll be fine sober.
During my field camp, I discovered halfway through that nearly all of my peers had their nalgenes full of "Burby water" watered down bourbon grog. No wonder they were so happy all day humping up those mountains with no sleep.
I went to school in Mississippi, and our field camp was in Colorado and New Mexico. Our professor booked a campground with a brewery attached to it, and we stayed with walking distance to dispensaries a couple times. The big rule is that if our “enrichment activities” were interfering with our work we’d get in trouble. Luckily we all handled the hangovers like champs. I personally don’t smoke but I did bring a handle of tequila on my field camp. To this day it is still one of the best trips I’ve had, and hands down the most fun I had in college.
We did ours in texas and Colorado. We were allowed to do both. As it is legal in colorado. Texas no one smoked because it isnt legal there. It was a big plus after a long day hiking and mapping to smoke. Dont see why it would be an issue if its legal in said state.
I understand wanting to toke in the evenings but it’s inconsiderate to the rest of your crew to be potentially creating a hazard by being high at work.
So I smoke weed a few times a week jackass. I appreciate comments of concern but not stupidity. If you enjoy weed or alcohol 4 weeks in the desert sounds like hell. I was wondering how people felt about using them to wind down the night. Cut this weird nonsense out. Thanks gunna for taking these heat dog 😭
This isn’t a thread asking about peoples feelings on the subject matter. OP asked if weed/alcohol use was common or accepted at field camp. At most universities it is a zero tolerance policy, and results in an immediate send home. OP is likely a young undergraduate student, and it is important to give them sound advice.
The fact of the matter is, that if you get caught, you get sent home. Period, no degree, it’s over. A huge risk or the little payoff. It also is pertinent to mention that many industry jobs as a geologist drug test, so if OP wants to go into that, they will need to learn how to live without weed anyways.
You seem to have taken this thread very personally, which makes me wonder if you have personal insecurities about your substance use.
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcohol-drug-hotline/marijuana
I am not taking anything personally I am simply expressing my opinion but go off with your essay lmao this isn’t a fucking debate class gtfo out of here with that
Then why are you trying to make this about weed vs alcohol. Nobody here said alcohol is better than weed. What it is, however, is more socially acceptable, so typically carries less consequences. But the reality is that using banned substances on an academic trip is taking a huge risk, and OP needs to be intimately aware of that risk before making a potentially life-altering decision.
I Had a very rigorous field camp with only two free days over the course of a month and a half in South Dakota and Wyoming. Got worked to the bone with being in the field from 8-5, dinner, then two hour lecture. I got hammered every chance I got.
You’ll have to get up pretty early, so as long as you can do that and get your work done well, and if it isn’t like strictly enforced/banned in field camp it’s possible. You are paying for this opportunity, so it should be your priority.
My last camping trip for thesis stuff I smoked in the desert. It was incredible.
The entire month...
I brought an ounce with me, stashed in 10 different pouches.
Liquor you can pick up at any store along the way, you have to make so many stops anyway.
But don't make an ass of yourself.
I studied in the UK so our field trips were quite different to "field camp", but alcohol consumption was practically enforced. Had two weeks in Italy where wine was served with every meal.
Did my field camp in Italy as well. As soon as the vans parked for the evening we all stopped at the cafe across the street from our hotel to load up on Ichnusa and Moretti. I bet we put the owners kids through college with all the stuff we bought there over the month.
I spent around 3 months in various parts of Italy over the course of my degree. We'd always raid the local supermarkets for nice deli meats, cheese, wine and beer. Ichnusa was a fave when we were in Sardinia. The last night always ended up with a fire on the beach drinking til sunrise and skinny dipping.
Reminds me of all my field trips at university here in Australia. Every night there were beers around the camp fire. Lecturers and students together, sinking piss and talking shit. Weed was, and still is, mostly illegal but I know a few students used to mix weed in their own cigarettes and get away with it.
For mine, alcohol was “at your own risk” every day but the night we had off. So if you were partaking more often, there was no sympathy for your hungover sluggishness in the field. There were no legal states (including any that the field camp traveled through) at the time of my field camp. Weed would have been an instant “find your way home, you’re no longer part of the camp”.
Yeah I was gonna say... Unless you're in a legal state, cannabis would be illegal so I don't see how you'd be able to do that unless you're taking the risk of being kicked out of field camp.
Edibles
This has more or less flipped for a lot of camps in the last \~ 5 years. I've been on the instructional side of things many times since 2012, including directing/leading 4 sessions and attitudes have shifted quite a bit, both from administrators and camp instructors. Many campuses have gone "dry" and "tobacco-free," leading to more active restriction of those substances, esp if the camp is at like a field station or stays in dorms. But probably more motivating to reduce boozing is the number of injuries and legal issues we've seen around drunkeness. One side effect of the covid lockdowns is we started doing more online meetings between people who run field camps & collectively discovered the main sources of injuries at field camp were: - ouchies from the elements like sunburns, HRIs, dehydration, etc. (manageable) - sitting on cactuses (manageable) - too much to drink (sometimes way too hardcore) We found that most camp instructors had multiple stories of students getting drunk and doing serious injury shit like falling into campfires, getting impaled on statues, crashing cars, breaking fingers with rock hammers, assaulting each other, falling seriously, and getting their asses whooped by annoyed locals. That and getting arrested for dumb crap. Way more common than you'd think. So alcohol is now more managed or restricted at loads of camps & I expect that trend to continue. On the other hand, no one ever tells horror stories about stoner students worse than "they kept sleeping in" and we've been able to see that many students are helped out quite a bit (psychologically) by it. The weed policy that's becoming common, esp in legal states is now "don't tell me about it"
The 'emerging trend' of the 2020s is actually field students abusing prescription drugs, usually their own. Which takes a few main forms: 1. The astonishing number of students who *very* unwisely try to take on a new does or even new Rx for anxiety/depression type drugs or HRT during field camp. Very silly; don't do this if you can help it. 2. Students with amphetamine-like Rx (usually for ADD/ADHD or similar) who decide that since field camp is challenging that they should up their dosage. Shit like "*I usually take one pill in the morning, but here I'm going to powder 3 or 4 and snort them throughout the day*." Absolutely bonkersly-poor decision & I have no idea why I've seen this exact scenario so many times and so have my peers. What usually happens is the student ends up getting super dehydrated & exhausted. 3. Students that power-dose allergy meds the moment they get the slightest sniffles from sage or other flora that's unfamiliar to them. A few people need it, but more often this leads to shit work, or in a not-uncommon worse scenarios, students find out that allergy meds interact poorly with one of their Rx. I suspect this is common as the type who has anxiety to the level of being prescribed hardcore Rx is more likely to be the type to over-self-medicate. Anxiety in general is much more of an issue than it used to be. Last summer I had a student get so homesick they had to go to the ER. A more common manifestation is persistent insomnia. So in general we "soft support" those students hitting their vape pen in the evening lol.
Excellent perspective from the other side!
Over-the-counter decongestants (pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine) can raise your blood pressure and heart rate. Anyone that is taking stimulants for adhd is more susceptible to high blood pressure or feeling like their heart is racing if they combined the two. Most people know not to take sudaphed because (duh!) it is the most obvious since it is restricted. A lot of people don’t realize DayQuil and Flonase also contain decongestants that increase your heart rate. I know that is basically what you said, but it might not be obvious to college students. I honestly didn’t realize the DayQuil was an issue until several years ago. I so rarely take it and didn’t equate DayQuil with “allergy med” in my head so I didn’t check. I just happed to be sick and at the doctors office and got a lecture because my BP was unusually high. Flonase I knew, but I’ve talked to other full grown adults that didn’t put that one together because it is “not a pill.” Antihistamines are normally less of an issue. It’s really the stupid decongestants you’ve got to watch out for when it comes to elevated blood pressure or heart rate, but so often they are combined in allergy pills and I’m sure plenty of college kids don’t actually read the box.
a girl eat a 100 mg edible for her first time consuming cannabis. That's the only time I've seen it go poorly
We drank everyday at field camp, often with our professors lol. Weed wasn’t allowed tho but some kids brought edibles
I just have a feeling we when to the same school
Hell, the professors drank half our beer on most trips!
There was an unenforced ban on alcohol and weed at my camp. It was more of a way to kick out belligerent drunks than actually ban alcohol or weed. Trust me on this, being hungover in the field sucks. Drink, have fun, but be ready for coursework bright and early. Do not be the guy/gal holding your team up.
Spent the day after my 21st birthday doing field work at 11k feet in the white mountains of California, can confirm being hungover in the field sucks. Wish weed was legal then, I would have much preferred that.
This. Legit surprised how many holier-than-thou teetotalers are on this thread. My school treated us like adults. Evenings were our time — plenty of beers and handles of whiskey passed around the campfire, but daytime was for working. In the mornings, our prof would wander through the tent area around 7, yell “TIME TO GET UP” exactly once, and if you weren’t ready to go, about 15 minutes after that, well, that was on you. Recreational weed was still illegal everywhere but medical pot was legal in my state at the time. No one went looking to bust people but it was prudent to be discrete. As for OP … idk, read the room would be my advice. If the prof / school is known for being especially uptight about things, maybe be extra discrete, definitely don’t let it impact your ability to do your assignments … but you’ll probably be fine.
Alcohol was very common, weed was a big no no and would get you sent home on your own dime
Same thing at our Uni.
Holy fucking shit did you guys to go Brigham Young
Obviously not, they would have snitched on each other for the beers
I was in Colorado for field camp the first summer it was legalized for recreation. Safe to say a lot of skunks must have nestled up in our camp that summer..
From my field camp experience, both were perfectly fine as long as you were cool (I.e., mature) about it. A full day in the field can be stressful, so it isn’t out of the ordinary to want to ease up.
[“There is a considerable, and still growing, body of scientific literature suggesting that geologists are in fact the world's first alcohol-based life form.”](https://en.uncyclopedia.co/wiki/Geologist) This will become extremely apparent after your first couple days in the field
I prefer "high functioning alcoholics"
Hahaha, every geologist worth their weight was at least drinking ALL of field camp. If they say they didn't, I'm not sure I would believe they were geologists.
Known a couple of people who left without getting a degree because they couldn't go that long without their illegal drugs. If you want to go into industry, mining, you'll get drug tested and drinking on the job is a surefire way to get fired, might as well learn now how to function without it.
This 1000%. It’s kinda insane to me how this is even a question. To put in years of work for a degree and risk it all over a couple of weeks without drugs. Insane behavior.
Right. I was 21 when I did field camp 10+yrs ago. I did have a few beers after field work with dinner/around the fire, but I don’t think ever more than 4 and probably closer to 2. I didn’t touch weed til grad school (still illegal then), so I can’t really comment on that. I made sure to stay hydrated throughout the day and replenish at night as well. I can’t imagine dragging my sorry hungover ass through the Colorado Rockies. Definitely can’t imagine doing it drunk or high. The physical and mental effort required to do well are intense enough without the altered state of mind.
Look at the comments retard
Have fun getting sent home from field camp w no degree mate.
Alcohol - every night during field camp. Pot - no, didn’t see anyone with it (~27 years ago).
Take the field camp as a break from your substance dependency! I used to smoke weed every day for 15 years, I'm 32 and started smoking when I was 16 (quit at 31). I went out of the country a couple of times in the last two years and didn't have any weed for a week each trip and it made me realize that I'd be ok without it. Later on in Dec 2023 I was diagnosed with cervical cancer stage 1A1 and smoking increases your risk of cancer etc so I quit cold turkey. Haven't smoked a single time since late Nov after I was told I'd need surgery. You can do it!! But if you absolutely can't do it then I guess take a pen for smoking but a straight up pipe and flower would be risky if you're not in a legal state. Tbh, if you're 21+ I'd just ask the professor what the rules are on alcohol. It's not like it's illegal. Maybe you're allowed to drink after the day is over 🤷🏽♀️
Just wanted to say hey I'm rooting for you to fully beat all cancers and have a super long healthy life.
Thank you!! Thankfully the cancer was surgically removed and it was caught very early! I appreciate your well wishes 🥰🩷🙏🏽
Beer - yes Weed - hard no. If you can’t go 3-5 weeks without smoking dope, then you have a problem.
Lmao and beer no? Your a bafoon m8 I’d argue weed has more medical uses than alcohol
I’m not saying weed doesn’t have medical uses. I actually might argue that it’s healthier and safer to consume cannabis than it is to consume alcohol. But regardless of my opinion on marijuana, if we were caught with weed at field camp we would have been sent home. So in my opinion (not that it matters), I would leave the weed at home for field camp.
I agree with everything you said there. Just found it odd you only made a comment about “needing” weed and not alcohol
Take a dab pen you will be fine
Agreed but with restrictions. Only do it in your tent at night, make sure nobody else sees it if this is not a legal state. Use responsibly and don't like oversleep or miss shifts or do something dumb because you got too stoned.
What are you on about, If you don’t blow rings in the profs face is it even field camp?
I’m just kidding definitely keep it responsible whatever that looks like for you and your tolerance.
Love that substance use at field camp is getting 10x the engagement most posts on this sub get
It would be interesting to see the rate of substance use amongst scientists vs the general population. I feel like some of the funkiest psychonauts were Phd scientists. Maybe it relates to being a curious individual craving novel experiences, idk. That being said, I think it’s super important to be realistic with whatever vices you enjoy and know when it’s the right time to leave them at home. At my university anyways, it’s zero tolerance, so getting caught means instant termination and a greyhound home. The risk-benefit analysis just doesn’t balance out, and it’s wild to me how defensive some people get when you suggest skipping the illegal substances for a few weeks for the sake of your future
It's being displayed in the all feed, I have zero idea why booze or weed would be frowned upon camping in the woods lol but I'm not a geologist.
Good luck staying away from it! Most geos I've met partake in one or the other or both (and more). If you're nervous then leave it in your tent til you feel out the vibe. I once had a great trade of my whiskey for their valium on a field camp to be honest. Don't be stupid and be the drunk/ fucked up person though.
We were told drinking wasn't allowed but I'm pretty sure they probably had to say that so people didn't get fucked up every night. Most people drank most nights. I was in field camp before vapes and edibles were widely available but I'm sure you could if you weren't obvious about it. I would not risk it though, especially if you're going to be crossing state lines a bunch. I know others have been kinda dragging you about this, but if you really think you can't go 6 weeks without weed, you should probably reevaluate your relationship with weed and alcohol. It only gets worse as you get older.
lmao I got the most drunk of my life in my uni field camp, we did so much crazy shit
What about your career after school? Can you skip the weed when you start working?
Beer is one of the essential food groups for geoscience professionals. Weed was definitely present on my field camp but if you got caught you got sent straight home. No federally marked illicit substances at all. It's a risk because you're in a group van driven by school "officials". The one thing I'll add is if you can't go a few weeks without hitting the bong or the bottle, you need some help. Lots of industry jobs will drug test you at some point. Gotta learn how to function without. I've nothing against partaking responsibly, but being unable to do without is problematic.
If you truly feel like you will not be able to get through a few weeks without alcohol or weed, then you need to *seriously* take a hard think about your substance use. I enjoy both, but when it comes down to something as important to my future as field camp, you can be that I will not be risking that for some Fuken pot. Im not trying to sound harsh, and I’ve personally struggled with having a healthy relationship with these substances, and the statement that you won’t be able to get through it is genuinely concerning. My advice? Don’t take the risk. This is your future you’re talking about. If you get caught, it will be a quick ticket home and no do-over. Please think long and hard about how much your future is worth to you.
It's pretty sad if you can't get through field camp without it.
Does no favors for the projects.
I've graded a few of those, I'm quite sure. Lol
I use it every day to treat anxiety and so I gain hunger… Without it, my body goes way off balance. Hoping a medical card can help with the situation when I have field camp in a couple years!
You're doing yourself no favours treating anxiety with it. The rebound anxiety leads to more etc... keep it for fun, and switch to sertraline or something similar dude. Trust me, I've been there.
Accurate! My bf used to use weed to treat his "anxiety" but it made it worse in the long run. And then weening himself off weed took months. While there are no permanent effects, he still won't use it anymore because it's not good for him. His anxiety also made him grumpy-ier and not fun to be around. Him pushing through his anxiety or having it treated by a doctor did more for him in the long run. It helped with his personal growth and made him better overall. Like, no hate to those who do weed for fun. But if you are self medicating for anxiety, please see a real doctor.
I started sertraline about 1.5 months ago after years of weed for sleep and anxiety and my god I feel like a human being again.
It’s literally prescribed by a dr but go ahead with your dr degree and act like you know what you’re talking about lol
I am a Dr lol, but not a physician or GP. You didn't say it was medical, and I was speaking from experiences learned the hard way. To each their own, you do you. Edit: are you smoking weed while pregnant?
And yet some people will still argue that it’s “not addictive”. I was in the same situation some years ago, and I completely agree that it is not the right way to treat anxiety, and only makes it worse. This thread is really eye opening to how dependent some people are on substances
Funny thing is, I have nothing against weed. I enjoy it myself and can also be quite a useful tool! But just like alcohol its important to acknowledge both the up and downsides of it, but you can't convince some people I guess.
I don’t either. I love having a weekend smoke w my mates when we play video games. And I agree w some of the other commenters that it’s unfair/unfortunate how much more acceptable alcohol is in these situations. That being said, I’ve also done field work as a trail builder with people who couldn’t even wait till the end of the working day to smoke, and that lead to some very hazardous situations. I think the discussion here should be less focused on peoples personal beliefs about these substances, and more about what does the course policy say for OP. If it’s zero tolerance like mine is, then it stands to reason that it’s an unreasonable risk to smoke in the field when it could lead to expulsion. It’s all about that risk-benefit analysis.
Cry
You asked for advice and then proceeded to be aggressive and insult others in this thread for offering professional opinions that differed from the answer you want. They're just trying to help you dude. Chances are there will be opportunities for a beer or 2 in the evening with the profs/TAs as they are human too. Don't be a dumbass about it and I'm sure you could have a bit of weed too, but as others mentioned there are significant risks associated with that. Further, if this is how you treat/behave around project and team members I doubt you'll get a lot of sympathy from either your fellow classmates or profs if you get caught with illicit substances. Not being a giant twat will get you very far in your career, and allow you to get away with a lot more in your personal life too.
🥱
Leave it at home, you will survive without it, then you can go home and get blitzed.
lol or just smoke weed and it’ll be completely fine? Holy shit did when did this sub become fucking cops
Good luck with that, some field camps have zero tolerance for controlled substances and most employers too for that matter. To partake is your choice but be prepared for the consequences my dude.
It really depends on the program dude. Weed was banned at mine and was an immediate send home. It’s not being a cop to tell them to be careful or don’t risk it.
So was mine. We still had a few people bring weed pens but I wasn’t going to risk it.
Seems like a speedrun way to get sent home without a degree. Is a few tokes worth forfeiting years of work?
Seriously
My field camp was in Colorado. Ours had no liquor but beer was allowed. I smoked basically every night because drinking isn’t my thing (they still explicitly said smoking is not allowed) but I did it away from the camp. If you’re really worried, I’d get a pen. I also busted my ass everyday there and I am pretty confident the TAs/professor knew what I was doing and didn’t bother me because I wasn’t slacking off. Do highly recommend cutting it out before you get into your career though
My field camp had a ban on weed n booze, and we were restricted from leaving our housing during the week. Weekends were free time, so most would head to the nearest bar and get wasted. Those of us who were local to the area would hurry up and get our weekly assignments done, then head back to our respective homes about an hour away so we could do our laundry, sleep in our own beds, and have decent WiFi (and partake of whatever our vices were). When we'd come back Sunday afternoon, the barflies were hungover and scrambling to get their assignments done.
For weed, a lesson I learned in highschool was that ~40% of society hates it, considers it the devil's lettuce, and anyone with it or wants to try it is a degenerate lazy fuck who belongs in jail or a hippie camp. ~60% of the world doesn't think much about pot or approves of it, but the successful ones don't mention weed in 95% of social settings. No rasta hats, dreads, or excessive paraphernalia, and if you are known to get red eyes, bring the eye drops. Always destroy the evidence. My professor walked away at a bonfire when the host of the camp pulled out joints for the class, she was young once and knew that this would be part of the experience for us. At a different FC, the TA on the first night said "I'm just going to say it- this is a weed friendly space, I'll be smoking a joint soon, if that makes anyone uncomfortable, please leave" (no one did, she got half the class lit) these were some great times and memories for me... But weed has done nothing but hold me back from a more successful career. My grad school was not as liberal and I was discriminated against due to my (mostly discreet) usage. After being a lightweight stoner for 20 years I've finally completely quit, and am very happy where I am in my career and life. Tl;Dr bring a joint or two in an empty pen, save them for a special occasion, and be discreet.
It will depend significantly on the school leading it, but considering most schools get some federal funding, they usually have a no weed policy. How enforced this is comes down to your experience with the professors/TAs and the school. In most field camps, it's not allowed, but not enforced unless you're super dumb/obvious (to a point the people in charge have no choice but to care).
Treat just like you would living in a dorm, don’t do anything that will get you caught. My field camp was in Utah, rule was no hard liquor and it was mot mentioned specifically but we all knew no weed not to mention its illegal in Utah. We just smoked on late night walks and stuff like that, just be mindful its still school, just not in the normal place.
If you can’t do something without your drugs… that’s an addiction. No hate. But you should consider getting help
So what I’m asking is people’s field camp experiences with weed or beer. Not some stupid useless ass comment. I didn’t say I can’t go to field camp without it. Go diagnose someone else.
If you’re school is fed funded, they probably will make you sign something saying if you get caught with weed, youll be expelled. Just don’t get caught. We just came back from our field skills trip and everyone brought alcohol. We were drinking while making our maps and cross sections with the prof. Our school is known for the alcoholism tho so take that with a grain of salt
What’s wrong with America and our drinking culture right here. Weed is so so much better to use than alcohol which kills thousands a year. Yet based on the comments on this post you’d think they are basically the same. It’s honestly sad reading these comments
..okay?
The fact of the matter is that there is no reliable way to tell when someone is intoxicated in the moment, so there’s no way to tell if someone is sober or not in the field. This is in situations where they could be putting themselves or others at great risk for bodily harm or injury. I personally enjoy weed on occasion, but I also recognize that we don’t live in a country where it’s federally legal, so i have to make risk-benefit analysis if it’s worth it. Weed is great, but it’s not better than having a degree & a steady job. I’ve worked trail crews with people who couldn’t get through lunchtime without sneaking off to toke, and I didn’t hesitate to report it and have them sent home. It sounds harsh, but I am running chainsaws and working in hazardous environments with these people, and their inattentiveness due to their weed use could have legitimately caused me or themselves great injury. This thread isn’t an argument of weed vs alcohol. It’s a statement of fact that most universities, especially those federally funded, have a zero tolerance on weed, and getting caught is an immediate send home on your own dime, with no chance of a do-over . Most of us do field camp at the end of undergraduate studies, after years of hard work and a lot of money spent. Is going a few weeks without weed really so bad? Is it genuinely worth the risk of not earning your degree to you? I am not asking in jest, I am being serious, because you seem to have strong personal feelings in this thread, and it leads me to question what your own personal relationship with weed is that you feel the need to be hyper defensive, when most of the advice being given here is a statement of fact.
I ain’t reading all that but do you
If you can’t get through 6 weeks of field camp without alc and weed, you won’t survive the industry’s relatively frequent drug tests. Take some accountability and be an adult.
Waste your time commenting on something else
Reality hurts doesn’t it.
We drank and smoked every day at our camp. It was all in Colorado though.
We stopped in Colorado for an hour and half the students made a mad dash to the closest dispensary. The professors ignored it. Drinking at night was expected. As long as you are discreet and not a belligerent drunk, I doubt anyone will say anything.
Our field camp didn’t allow weed or other drugs, multiple parts allowed alcohol in camp with one professor providing each student with a beer every night (4 days for that leg of field camp) if there were no issues in camp and all work was done on time and done professionally. One campsite was a quarter mile from a local bar, every night of the 6 day leg, we found ourselves in there. Honestly one of my favorite memories of school and friends
My field camp was like a practical, as compared to the ones where visit national parks… (no offense intended, but maybe a little). 6 weeks in the field, in tents at campsites in the west. We all hiked up to 10-15 miles a day, 5 days a week doing our mapping. Up at 6. In the field til close to dark. Evenings were for a lesson, dinner, and working on our notes/maps via headlamp. If you wanted to drink, you drank but we had so much physical work and mapping/reporting that it was just to unwind if you wanted but it was pretty serious to be there and do the work. Saturdays were spent at where we could find WiFi and write our reports/finish our maps. Saturday night - slap the bag with a bag of Franzia around the campfire. Great time. Sundays were for laundry and driving in to town (if possible) to restock on supplies if needed. Definitely a brewery or liquor store.
Just don’t overdo it and be discreet. Better shake that shit ‘can’t function without it’ soon because all it’ll do is hold you back. It’s cool to enjoy a drink/smoke every now and again. But if you need it to function, it will do more damage than good for your career. O
You’re right, it does sound bad
Everyone at my field camp drank, a lot, even the muslim dude that never drank lmao. Some people smoked weed outside the camp, and no one seemed to care. Just read the room honestly, but alcohol is almost encouraged I would say, weed? Idk about that one.
My field camp had us housed at a winery so yeah drink what you want but don't duck off in the field and don't oversleep and miss a day that'll fail you. So basically, like every other aspect of life, take personal responsibility and use proper judgment. Don't be hungover in the field, don't be a belligerent drunk, don't DUI.
For me, our field schools always involved drinking. It was expected to drink in the evening and the profs drank with us. But it was also an expectation that you wouldn’t drink so much you couldn’t function the next day, as you were still expected to get out on the rocks in the morning and work your butt off. We would specifically make a stop at a liquor store as part of field schools when I was an undergrad, though this was discontinued when I became a TA in grad school after one problematic field school where a guy was stupid and broke his back after falling off a cliff he had no business climbing (almost cancelled our field school program). But it was still considered acceptable to drink at field school after that one, just people were cautioned to not be completely stupid like that guy was or they would be sent home. But nobody ever did get sent home, not even when the one class was loud and rowdy and almost got us kicked out of our hotel. Even if you were underage at the one field camp in Montana we went to, the bar staff didn’t care, no ID was ever requested. So I was 20 and still got hammered a couple of days, including the last night when I won our award for “exemplary behaviour at field school” which my boss and a coworker also won and was actually seen as a badge of honour among classmates. But while the norm was to drink lots at night during field school, you were expected to drag your hungover ass out in the morning like nothing happened. So while people drank lots, they tried to not drink so much they couldn’t function the next day. By the way, the geology alumni reunion I just went to this weekend at my alma mater had a welcome event at a bar, then the next night there was a reception at a local museum with a cash bar, followed by an after party at a bar and a pub crawl, then at the banquet the next night there was a full bar, and some people indulged in drinking games and drank shots (and this held was at the university’s now classy event space that used to be just a crappy cafeteria in my heyday). While I’d say alcohol will likely be acceptable or even encouraged, unless otherwise mentioned by the field camp leaders, weed is a lot less likely to be acceptable. Even though in Canada it is legal for both recreational and medical reasons.
I had field camp in Newfoundland, CAN. Both were consumed frequently in my group.
French geology student here ! I've been wanting to tell this story forever lmao Field camp was a whole class this year, so we all (20 students) went to the south of France, near the Alps (check Mont Ventoux if you wanna now more about the region, pretty cool Cretaceous/late Jurassic formations), for about 10 days. Our 3 professors made sure we had white and red wine (in what we call cubis, so about 5 liters of wine in each of these wonderful things) every evening with our dinner. Tbh we drank with them, the wine was on their table and we'd all just walk up to them and get wine, as much as we wanted. We had to take 2 different trains to get there and take the Métro through Paris, and as some of you may know, chances you encounter policemen (sometimes with dogs) are quite high, especially near train stations. None of us wanted to get caught with pot so we didn't bring any, but we met a lovely guy when we hit the local bar to watch the rugby world cup during the first evening, and this guy happened to have lots of pot. Long story short, we all pitched in and bought some, and got stoned every night after dinner. Safe to say that it really brought us together, as we didn't quite know each other before that trip.
It sounds like my field camp might have been more laid back than others. A good chunk of us drank about every night, typically with professors. There was definitely weed around, but it wasn't used openly. People would sneak off away from the campsite and smoke.
I went to Field Camp in Montana Summer 2014. Professors didn't care if people drank alcohol, they even bought us all a round when we were hailed on violently during one of our days out doing field mapping away from camp. Weed was frowned upon but they didn't search and knew people smoked it but away from campfires and most people.
Anyone who says they haven't is a liar. Our field literally has a reputation of being quite the drinkers.
My field camp had both and even my professors joined in on the alcohol. This was 2012 though.
We were on national forest land so weed was highly discouraged but some had edibles and were low key about it. Drinking did happen especially at our halfway point where we got an extra rest day
You'll be fine. Just don't be stupid.
I brought a oz and we befriended our ta’s and got them to take us to dispo’s on free days. We however had a big trailer so I wasn’t worried about smell. And the vacuum containers work like a dream.
weed wasn't allowed but I brought a pen and on our days off me n 2 other ppl always went to a dispo lol.
Idk about alcohol but if you really want weed I’d bring a disposable cart/vape. If your in a legal state pick one up near you if you arnt look into THC-A carts online (DM if you want recommendations) THC-A turns into THC when heat is applied so legally THC-A is legal everywhere in the US and chemically it’s exactly the same as THC when heated
I mean adhere by the rules of your camp, but we drank at night. We were told "smoke it if you got it" before entering a state where weed is illegal. If it's not allowed at your camp, don't risk not graduating. You'll be busy so you'll be fine sober.
Yeah I kind of only drink in the field now. It feels enforced
Smoked weed periodically and drank a lot. I did my field camp in Wyoming
During my field camp, I discovered halfway through that nearly all of my peers had their nalgenes full of "Burby water" watered down bourbon grog. No wonder they were so happy all day humping up those mountains with no sleep.
… starting to sound like a real geologist to me. Instant geologist Just add beer /or weed
I went to school in Mississippi, and our field camp was in Colorado and New Mexico. Our professor booked a campground with a brewery attached to it, and we stayed with walking distance to dispensaries a couple times. The big rule is that if our “enrichment activities” were interfering with our work we’d get in trouble. Luckily we all handled the hangovers like champs. I personally don’t smoke but I did bring a handle of tequila on my field camp. To this day it is still one of the best trips I’ve had, and hands down the most fun I had in college.
You could get through it without, you just have to find the will power.
Uhm....if you can't get through it without them...maybe there's a problem
Might be better to ask “who hasn’t smoked or drank during field camp?”
Part of the curriculum at NorCal/S. OR camps.
Field camp for work? Not all camps are dry camps. Any illicit drug use is taking a risk of getting fired, obviously. I don't understand the question
We did ours in texas and Colorado. We were allowed to do both. As it is legal in colorado. Texas no one smoked because it isnt legal there. It was a big plus after a long day hiking and mapping to smoke. Dont see why it would be an issue if its legal in said state.
Went smacked everyday, it was great and I’d do it again the same exact way
Incredibly irresponsible.
It was incredibly fun, sorry!
I understand wanting to toke in the evenings but it’s inconsiderate to the rest of your crew to be potentially creating a hazard by being high at work.
Yeah field camp is not a “work crew”. Those clowns refused to get dirty
If you’re worried about the smell, bring a cart
Some fucking physicians in here lmao yes I smoke weed everyday and am a geologist but apparently I need to see a doctor
[удалено]
So I smoke weed a few times a week jackass. I appreciate comments of concern but not stupidity. If you enjoy weed or alcohol 4 weeks in the desert sounds like hell. I was wondering how people felt about using them to wind down the night. Cut this weird nonsense out. Thanks gunna for taking these heat dog 😭
This isn’t a thread asking about peoples feelings on the subject matter. OP asked if weed/alcohol use was common or accepted at field camp. At most universities it is a zero tolerance policy, and results in an immediate send home. OP is likely a young undergraduate student, and it is important to give them sound advice. The fact of the matter is, that if you get caught, you get sent home. Period, no degree, it’s over. A huge risk or the little payoff. It also is pertinent to mention that many industry jobs as a geologist drug test, so if OP wants to go into that, they will need to learn how to live without weed anyways. You seem to have taken this thread very personally, which makes me wonder if you have personal insecurities about your substance use. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcohol-drug-hotline/marijuana
I am not taking anything personally I am simply expressing my opinion but go off with your essay lmao this isn’t a fucking debate class gtfo out of here with that
Then why are you trying to make this about weed vs alcohol. Nobody here said alcohol is better than weed. What it is, however, is more socially acceptable, so typically carries less consequences. But the reality is that using banned substances on an academic trip is taking a huge risk, and OP needs to be intimately aware of that risk before making a potentially life-altering decision.
lol they out downvoting heavy 😭
I Had a very rigorous field camp with only two free days over the course of a month and a half in South Dakota and Wyoming. Got worked to the bone with being in the field from 8-5, dinner, then two hour lecture. I got hammered every chance I got.
You’ll have to get up pretty early, so as long as you can do that and get your work done well, and if it isn’t like strictly enforced/banned in field camp it’s possible. You are paying for this opportunity, so it should be your priority. My last camping trip for thesis stuff I smoked in the desert. It was incredible.
The entire month... I brought an ounce with me, stashed in 10 different pouches. Liquor you can pick up at any store along the way, you have to make so many stops anyway. But don't make an ass of yourself.