I have a PhD but did not go down the academic route afterwards. At work to begin with it was more a hindrance than a help. I never regret doing it though I would cringe if anyone addressed me as "Dr" in any everyday context. I get occasional items of post that are addressed as such which is ok. I did the PhD just for personal ambition and nothing else, though there are scores that insist on the title at every opportunity.
To be honest I don't like using titles or honorifics at all, and anyone who is sensitive about being addressed by any title is not somebody worth knowing usually.
Even when attending my GP, I won't refer to the practitioner as "Dr". It is a form of deference which is just unnecessary and gives one person implied power over the other.
I live what on paper would be considered as a fairly comfortable, suburban middle-class life, surrounded by people who were either born into that way of living or are aspiring to such. That includes the vast majority of my work colleagues, associates, friends, in-laws. I am very proud of my working class roots though and culturally and socially, could never shake them off in an environment that seems to want to force me to do so. I feel more affinity with characters in The Royle Family than anyone in my social or work circle.
"Poshness" is harder to define these days, it at least seems there are less posh people in circulation than there was when I was at university. Culturally if not economically there has been a levelling of the playing field, there are plenty of Hyacinth Buckets around but these people are just parodies of themselves.
