Society views lawyers are people of high prestige, mostly well-compensated, highly intelligent, so it can be baffling to hear about substance addiction among lawyers. And some might wonder, how can well-paid, well-respected lawyers be addicted to drugs, alcohol, or other substances? Well, this will be demystified as you read further.

The nature of the legal profession aids the gradual development of substance addiction, as shocking as this may seem it is the truth.

Addiction is a brain disease that involves persistent craving for a substance leading to compulsive use despite evident negative consequences. The individual gets to a point where he/she can no longer control or stop his/her usage of such a substance.

So, for lawyers, some reasons why they are prone to substance addiction include;

• Their Personality

This is what is referred to as the “lawyer personality”, where certain traits can be found in most lawyers which aid the development of addiction to drugs or alcohol. Lawyers are known to be competitive, egoistic, anxious, compulsive, and argumentative, and they always want to be the best. But these are traits that make them constantly anxious and stressed, thereby susceptible to the vices of addiction.

• Compensation Model

Unlike some other professions, lawyers bill clients per hour, that is, lawyers are paid on an hourly basis. Therefore, time is of high importance to them, the more hours you work, the more you bill your clients. So, they can go for nights without sleep or neglect their personal life to attend to a client’s needs. In the process, they become addicted to substances like caffeine to remain awake or alcohol to remain active.

• Competitive System

The legal profession is a highly competitive one. Lawyers do not only compete in courts on matters of great consequences for their clients, they also compete to rank up at firms. The system, therefore, puts significant pressure on them to always be the very best or risk losing.

This pressure pushes lawyers towards alcoholism or cocaine addiction to deal with the pressure and stress.

So, although the legal profession can be very rewarding, it places tremendous pressure on lawyers which could easily lead them to substance addiction. These are the reasons why lawyers are prone to substance abuse and addiction. After many years of Addiction most Lawyers will need to seek professional help to treat there Substance Problem. Residential Addiction Treatment Programs can provide the best results, leading to a life Free from addictions.

For an attorney for earns a living from arguing cases, accepting that he/she is addicted to substances or alcohol can be quite difficult. And when they do, finding the right treatment facility that can cater to their needs becomes an issue. But there are some treatment facilities known as executive rehabs which cater for addicted attorneys.

Often an addicted attorney can easily create arguments and justification for his/her addiction, disguising on certain premises which a regular rehab is not equipped to deal with.

But for executive rehabs, their staff are highly trained and intelligent to deal with any argument put forward by an addicted attorney. Not to say that regular treatment facility staffs are not intelligent, but that those of executive rehabs are well-trained and professional in dealing with attorneys.

More so, unlike a regular rehab which separates a patient from his/her phone and external influences such as work, executive rehabs recognize an attorney’s need to sometimes work.

They, therefore, provide flexible schedules to enable attorneys to work while receiving treatment and at request may provide a conference room for office meetings. This is important for attorneys who may need to attend to one or two clients while on their way to sobriety.

An attorney occupies a position of prestige in society, so apart from accommodating their client’s commitments, executive rehabs also uphold the high standard of living of attorneys.

That is the facilities are high class, spas, pools, fitness centers, massage therapy, specialty delicacies, etc. Executive rehabs ensure that an attorney doesn’t have to forgo his/her affluent lifestyle to seek treatment, but retains such lifestyle while for clients seeking sobriety.

Therefore, due to the societal position and peculiarly of an attorney, regular treatment centers will not be sufficient, but executive rehab facilities have to be engaged for the best outcome.