The Blubber

Wall Street's relentless office culture is driving young bankers to snort crushed Adderall pills at their desks to endure grueling workdays lasting up to 22 hours, according to a report.

Bankers in their 20s and 30s aiming to climb the financial ladder told The Wall Street Journal that it was commonplace to see colleagues taking Adderall—a prescription drug for ADHD—as if it were recreational cocaine. The report also highlighted the use of other stimulants, including Vyvanse and highly caffeinated energy drinks.

Mark Moran, who interned at Credit Suisse in New York, revealed how he secured an Adderall prescription from a local clinic despite skepticism from a family psychologist about his ADHD diagnosis. “They gave me a script, and within months, I was hooked,” said Moran, now 33. “You become dependent on it to work.”

The excessive workloads on Wall Street came under scrutiny after the death of Leo Lukenas III, a 35-year-old Bank of America investment banker and former Green Beret. Lukenas died from acute coronary artery thrombus after weeks of working 100-hour weeks on a $2 billion acquisition.

The intense demands have led other firms, like Morgan Stanley, to enforce rules limiting junior bankers to 80-hour weeks. Yet many workers say the workload still drives reliance on stimulants.

Trevor Lunsford, who has worked in mergers and acquisitions at Ascend Capital in Washington, DC, for seven years, described Adderall as “a very core, integral component” of his life. Lunsford recalled business trips requiring 20- to 22-hour workdays, saying, “I wouldn’t have been able to stay focused or make quick decisions without Adderall.”

Similarly, Jonah Frey, a former investment banker at Wells Fargo in San Francisco, said the drug helped him manage 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. shifts. After moving to New York's Leerink Partners in 2021, his workload tripled, and his reliance on stimulants intensified.

These stories, shared with The Wall Street Journal, illustrate the extreme pressures and unhealthy coping mechanisms prevalent in the financial industry.