Addiction in the legal profession is a serious problem that poses a threat to the lives of myriads of ambitious men and women, including their means of livelihood.
A foundation to this problem is the burden placed on lawyers as they are often entrusted with the fate and future of their clients.
This causes most lawyers to work extra hours, pushing beyond their limits and leaving no room for errors as they ensure their clients end up on the good side of fate.
The pressure from such can cause problems like depression, anxiety, and stress disorders, to mention a few, in which to cope with, lawyers often resort to substance abuse.
The American Bar association, based on a survey of 13,000 legal professionals, found that about a third of practicing lawyers had a drinking problem. Addiction among lawyers is to several causes:
- Pressure: An average lawyer is under pressure to prove himself as capable of his profession, and this pressure begins right from law school through to the first 15 years of practice. The need to compete with other lawyers and impress junior and senior partners causes lawyers to take up heavy workloads. They end up using substances to help their body keep up with the pressure of the workload.
- Stress and anxiety relief: Due to the pressure on lawyers, they often become victims of anxiety and stress disorders, causing a lack of sleep. Hence, to cope with stress while they want to stay awake or relieve stress when they need to sleep, many lawyers indulge in substance abuse.
- Drinking Culture: As a result of the popularity of using alcohol to relieve stress and anxiety, a drinking culture has developed among lawyers. So, you find a constant availability of alcohol within and around a lawyer’s office. It has grown into becoming a form of socialization with colleagues than a coping mechanism.
The above causes show that except if the work ethics of lawyers become lenient, addiction will continue to be more prominent among lawyers.