THE LIFE OF AN ADDICTED LAWYER

A good number of lawyers usually struggle with addiction. They take drugs and alcohol in a bid to help them get the competitive advantage or handle stress and control mental health problems. It is very usual for lawyers who are addicted to substance use addiction, to sacrifice their health into ensuring that they are successful career-wise. With this, their relationship and social life is at risk.

Lawyers are individuals who have the ability to take over interactions and conversations. They are very adept at shifting attention away from themselves, which makes it extremely difficult for their family and friends to notice, and even persuade them to seek help.

The legal profession is one which makes it very easy to come up with a substance abuse addiction. The challenges and obligations which comes with the job, has the capacity to induce a good number of mental health issues which includes: depression and anxiety. Several studies have shown that the workplace of an individual plays an important role in the likeliness of an employee to be caught up in the web of addiction.

Stress happens to be one of the main factors which contributes to substance addiction. Lawyers usually face high levels of stress, and this increases the risk of coming up with substance abuse. The workload and the need to commit to time, is usually on the extreme, and this is what the legal profession puts on individuals.

Typically, a Lawyer has to work for long hours on end, they have to deal with certain irregularities from time to time, coupled with much workload and tough time issues, and all this contributes to the stress levels of a Lawyer.

It should be noted that, most times, the origin of substance addiction, is usually from Law school. There is always this stress to perform well academically, and hence, they use either drugs or alcohol to assist them.

The most effective form of treatment for an addicted Lawyer, is to opt for specialized addiction treatment centres. There are some rehabs which are meant specifically for Lawyers and you can be sure that their recovery progress would be quicker.

Executive Rehab for Professional Attorneys

executive rehab attorneyWhen an attorney requires rehabilitation, just any old rehab will not do. Attorneys are high functioning individuals with very particular needs and wants. Government funded rehabs or even the average middle of the road rehab center do not have the operating budget to give an attorney a successful treatment experience. An attorney will need a minimum level of comfort and accommodation when they attend rehab, as well as intelligent staff and counselors and flexibility around their treatment schedule. What they need is executive rehab.

In an executive rehab program, the lifestyle choices of an attorney are honored and met. Attorneys are high income earners, and in order to transition smoothly into a rehab environment, an attorney should not have to radically adjust their lifestyle. It is too jarring to the recovery process. Instead, an attorney should be able to check into rehab, maintain a high quality diet, receive personal attention and services and be surrounded by enough of the finer things that they do not have to focus on adjusting to a different comfort bracket.

Another valuable aspect of executive rehab is the flexibility in the treatment schedule. Attorneys frequently cannot sever their work commitments just to go to rehab. Frequently, they will still be responsible for some work duties, albeit reduced ones. Because of this, they can greatly benefit from the flexibility of an executive rehab program schedule. An executive rehab can customize a treatment schedule around individual clients so that they can be present for their work obligations. They can make a treatment calendar around their client’s meetings and travels, and are prepared to adjust it should something unforeseen arise in their client’s professional obligations.

And lastly, an executive rehab will provide an attorney with the accommodations they need to remain functional and comfortable. Executive rehab centers provide business amenities to their clients so that they can meet professional obligations out of the facility. They also offer their clients features such as hot tubs, saunas, game rooms and private gyms so that they can maintain the level of luxury that they are used to. Executive rehab is the whole package, and is bound to make an attorney’s addiction treatment experience a positive, productive one.

Holding an Attorney Accountable for their Addiction Tendencies

addicted attorney

Attorneys can fall into addiction tendencies, just like anyone else, but unlike other professionals, they may have a particularly hard time being held accountable for it. In fact, attorneys are some of the least likely professionals to receive addiction treatment. There are a number of reasons an attorney would deny their addiction, to themselves and to the world. They are accustomed to arguing their case, whether they are right or wrong. They are highly intelligent and it is difficult to impress them with a counter argument. In addition, they usually have a lot at stake, between their careers, reputations, lifestyle and reputations. They do not want their addictions found out.

Attorneys argue cases for a living. Their professional duties include researching a case and preparing an argument to sway the decision about the case. Chances are, when it comes to their addiction tendencies, they have probably developed an intelligent case around defending them the way they would a court case. They have compiled data, for their own benefit, that reflects their addiction tendencies in a positive light, such as any type of health benefit they may receive from the source of their addiction, or statistics that favor liberal use of whatever it is they are indulging in. The obvious trouble with this reasoning is, just like some of their court cases, they are ethically defending the wrong side of a case. An attorney may defend someone who should actually be penalized, and they may defend their own addiction tendencies which are actually disastrous.

Attorneys also have good reason to deny and cover up their addiction tendencies: they have a lot to protect. Legal professions are high income earning. They bring in a salary that one would do anything to keep. With this high salary, attorneys make large investments which can only be sustained by their ongoing income. The prestige of their careers and the value of their reputations are what gets them work and notoriety in their professional field. It is what supports their families and their personal interests. Many attorneys deny and hide their addictions so that none of these things will be jeopardized.

The Evolution of a Lawyer’s Addiction Problem

It has been proven that attorneys are at a higher risk of addiction, particularly substance abuse, than other members of society. This is highly due to the stress and pressures of the legal profession, but is also influenced by other social, psychological and neurological factors.

lawyer addictionMany cases of addiction in the legal profession are going untreated because most lawyers hide their problem. Despite the availability of rehabilitation programs that are customized to suit the legal professional’s lifestyle, the primary factor influencing attorneys to seek treatment for addiction is when they can no longer hide their problem and are sued for malpractice.

There are certain addiction trends that can be observed through out the legal profession, which chart the general progress of addiction through an attorney’s career.

  • Law School: Approximately 25 percent of law students are reported to develop a substance abuse problem while attending their educational institution. The number begins modestly, but rises to 25 percent by graduation.
  • Practicing Law: Over 15 percent of practicing attorneys are afflicted with addiction, which is nearly twice the amount seen in other professions, and the severity of the addiction will statistically increase with time.
  • Early Career: It is estimated that younger attorneys battle substance abuse problems at a rate of 17 percent.
  • Later Career: Substance abuse problems among senior attorneys increase to 24 percent.