Signs that a lawyer is suffering from stress

One of the most competitive industries in the professional world is the legal industry. For any lawyer to be termed as successful they must have a certain level of excellence, top-notch work ethic, grit, and tenacity.  

However, with these great heights in the legal world comes a high level of stress that many of them may not be able to deal with.

Free Ethnic male lawyer showing document on laptop to young female colleague Stock Photo

Stress can be shown through physical and mental health symptoms that can make it difficult for Lawyers to meet deadlines, handle challenging legal matters amongst others.  

Here are some of the common signs that a Lawyer is suffering from stress

Constant exhaustion

When they begin to feel exhausted even after taking some hours to rest, then they might be suffering from stress. Some of them might even feel fatigued after doing little work, and this is because their stress levels are quite high.

Inability to concentrate

Another sign that a Lawyer is dealing with stress is when they find it hard to concentrate. They might find it hard to pick out key details when having conversations, meetings, or even when conducting research for a legal case.

No work-life balance

When a lawyer is suffering from stress, there is a high chance that they won’t have a work-life balance. They may spend much time on work that they barely spend time with their family and friends.

Also, they might begin to feel frustrated from the fact that they don’t have a social life anymore which distracts them from work.

Self-medication

Sometimes, lawyers who are going through stress are likely to self-medicate to combat the physical and mental symptoms that come with stress. In the process, some of them may become addicted to drugs and alcohol because they have developed a dependence on them.

For overworked attorneys who are burned out, they can reduce their stress levels by having enough rest, spending time with family and friends, and setting boundaries when it comes to work-life balance.

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Reasons Why Lawyers Are Prone To Substance Addiction

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.

Executive Rehab For Addicted Attorneys

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.

HEALTH TIPS FOR LAWYERS TO PREVENT ADDICTION

The law profession, beyond its prestige, is a sedentary profession that can be psychologically and emotionally sapping. Found among lawyers are significant levels of anxiety, stress, and depression arising out of the pressure to keep up with the high demands of the legal profession.

Hence, some lawyers have turned to drugs and other substances such as caffeine, steroids, or nicotine to help them relax and be more productive.

To prevent addiction among lawyers, below are some health tips:

1. Set healthy limits: The emotional involvement of lawyers can often make them forget to live healthily. As a lawyer, you tend to deprive yourself of sleep or get anxious over the problems of your client that you may eventually develop depression and high blood pressure. In handling legal matters, be wise enough to separate your personal life from client matters. Set time limits.  

2. Exercise: Always take time to exercise no matter how impossible it may seem because lack of exercise could gradually kill your body and mind. Exercise is a healthy way to relieve the stress that comes with the legal profession.

3. Socialize: To prevent addiction as a lawyer, you could develop the habit of socializing by spending time with people, especially those you love. You could also build close relationships with your colleagues at work who would check on you often and whom you can hang out with during times of high stress.

4. Sleep: Sleep has its way of relaxing the mind so, you should not be deficient in sleep if you aim to prevent addiction as a lawyer.

The importance of your health as a lawyer cannot be over-emphasized as your health status affects your level of productivity. Keep your mind healthy by learning to forgive yourself when you make mistakes and not pressure yourself to always attain perfection.

How Lawyers can prevent addiction in their cycle

An American Bar Association study from 2016 showed that 20.6 percent of lawyers reported problems with drinking. Other research from the Canadian Bar Association estimates that alcohol addiction rates among lawyers range between 15 and 24 percent.

Prescription drugs and illicit drugs are also a problem for many lawyers. They utilize substances like cocaine, OxyContin, and Valium to achieve a competitive edge, prevent stress, or cope with mental health disorders.

Many lawyers who suffer from substance use disorders sacrifice their health to accomplish their work goals. In addition, family and social relationships may be affected.

Lawyers tend to be good at dominating conversations, meetings, and relationships. The skill they have at diverting attention away from themselves makes it more challenging to convince them to obtain treatment for their substance use disorder.

If you are an attorney who is struggling with a substance use disorder, there are ways to recover from this disease and save your career. Professionals in high-demand professions are catered to by many rehab treatment facilities that offer specialized programs.

To reduce substance abuse, attorneys and law firms need to take reasonable steps. Taking proactive steps to address addiction can prevent lawyers from developing addiction problems in the future. A few of these steps are:

Managing Stress

Attorneys are vulnerable to mental health disorders due to stress, a common element in substance abuse. The stress level of attorneys can be reduced significantly by properly training them on how to manage their time and clients. Counseling and peer support can be helpful for attorneys suffering from severe stress. Working fewer hours can reduce stress as well.

Policy and Attitude Changes towards Drinking in the Workplace

Lawyers are often surrounded by an environment that encourages substance abuse, especially alcohol abuse. Young lawyers are most at risk of developing alcohol dependence, according to a study by the American Bar Association in 2016. The study reported that 31.9% of lawyers 30 or younger took part in problematic drinking.

Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease study’s authors suggest law firms can address this issue by implementing formal policies for handling substance abuse in the workplace. Researchers found that preventing permissive attitudes towards substance abuse at work can be effectively prevented through team-based interventions.

Lawyers and Addiction to Drugs and Alcohol

Even though men and women in the legal profession are often subjects of jokes by the general public, they are known for their hard work and intelligence in sorting out complex legal issues.

With the high stress levels associated with their careers, lawyers are known to push themselves above and beyond their physical and mental limits.

Similar to other high-stress careers (such as emergency first responders, police officers, doctors, et cetera) lawyers also tend to resort to unhealthy habits to cope with job-related stress and anxieties.

Specifically, addiction to alcohol in combination with depression and anxiety are more common in the legal professionals than in others.

Another factor to consider is that legal professionals also suffer from extremely high levels of mental health issues. It has been reported that 40% of law students suffer from depression just after the first year of law school. This impact is said to continue throughout law school and into their careers.

Considering the frequency and quantities of alcohol consumption, a study by the American Bar Association involved 12,825 licensed and employed lawyers in 19 states around the US.

Results based on the lawyers’ anonymous responses to a questionnaire reveled that as high as 28 percent suffer from depression, and 19 percent exhibit symptoms of anxiety.

Given the nature of how the legal system works, it is a common understanding that lawyers who argue cases in the court find that they have to compromise their ethical and moral values, creating an inner conflict. They may also have to take positions that are contrary to their belief system and defend people they think are guilty.

Addiction in the legal profession is a giant problem that unfortunately had put an end to many promising careers and lives.  

Taking steps to addressing mental health and stress related triggers early on in the law school is an important consideration.

Attaining work-life balance is very hard for people in the legal profession. This is especially true in the case of junior lawyers who typically don’t have control over their schedules and workload.

An indirect factor for the stress is said to be the high levels of debt accumulated during law school. This burden could be a limiting factor when the graduating young lawyers make their career decisions. However, these young professionals need to realize that their well-being is tied to keeping themselves physically and mentally healthy.

Fortunately, several Alcohol Addiction Treatment options in a private and confidential environment are available.

Rehab and Addiction Treatment for Legal Professionals

A majority of lawyers and other legal professionals routinely deal with ethical conflicts in addition to unusually high levels of workload in high-pressure, competitive workplaces.

This intense professional environment is attributed to the general impression among the public of a ‘drunk lawyer’. Surveys confirm that the rates of alcohol abuse in the legal profession are among the highest of any career in North America.

Since lawyers are also highly paid professionals, it can be assumed that they get timely treatment for their addiction problems.

However, the biggest barrier to getting addiction treatment is said to be the belief among the lawyers that admitting they had a problem could bring a bad reputation, damage their image in the society and essentially ruin their very career. They may also be afraid of colleagues in their law firm finding out about their problems.

These barriers to seeking the essential timely help calls for treatment options that can maintain a high degree of confidentiality and privacy.

For legal professionals, specialized services have been the most effective in treating addiction. The first step is overcoming the fears and asking for help.

International Lawyers in Alcoholics Anonymous is a group of recovered lawyers and judges carrying the message of recovery within the legal profession. Their main role is to act as a bridge between the legal professionals who are reluctant to seek help or in denial and the Alcoholics Anonymous.

Experiences from the 12-step program of the Alcoholics Anonymous demonstrated that lawyers and judges are worried about their anonymity if they attend the program. Even when they get over denying that they have a substance abuse problem, they are still reluctant to be seen publicly by attending the meetings.

If you are a legal professional feeling the overwhelming demands at work, it is advisable that you speak with your supervisor or a trusted mentor.  This is the most effective first step you can take.

Many employers are committed to the physical and mental well-being if their employees and will be ready to help address the concerns. Additionally, a number of other recovery resources are also available – such as paid time off or company-funded addiction treatment.

In parallel, it is important to open up to a family member or friend who will be able to advise you. This will help relieve stress and serve as a support system. To sort out the treatment options, you should schedule a substance abuse evaluation with a counselor.

REASONS WHY LAWYERS GET ADDICTED

On a regular basis, people get addicted, and there are lots of reasons which are responsible for this. However, these reasons are usually specific to an individual or a group of people. For instance, the most likely form of addiction which would plague professionals such as Lawyers and health workers, would be different from the type of addiction which would affect other group of professionals.

When it comes to addiction, Lawyers are not left out, as a good number of them usually face compulsive obsessive disorders which are at rates that are higher than the conventional population, and the rehab services for them is specialized, as the general one cannot suffice.

One of the major reasons why Lawyers get addicted, is due to stress. Now the fact is, these set of people usually go through a lot, having to attend to a good number of cases, some of which are most times very tasking and challenging; enabling them to spend weeks on end trying to solve the mysterious aspects of a case.

In the long run eventually, having faced series of stressful days, one of such ways which they utilize in cooling off, is taking either drugs or alcohol, which is detrimental to their health. The excessive use of drugs and alcohol has an adverse effect on the individual, and it is usually hard for the addict to break free from such addiction.

Now, it would be hard for you to see any Lawyer who would own up to the fact that they are suffering from addiction, and this is because they do not want to taint their image. For instance, a Lawyer could be handling a case of over-speeding because the driver was drunk, and he himself, could be an excessive drinker, without the knowledge of anyone.

It is advised that Lawyers who are addicted, seek prompt help before it gets too late. As earlier mentioned, there are specialized addiction rehab centres for Lawyers alone. These rehabs have professionals who are adept at treating addiction among Lawyers, and ensuring that they get back on track to live their normal lives.