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The Long Road Of Recovery For A Lawyer

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The first step in the long road to recovery for a lawyer is to first confide in others their plight, thus nourishing a sense of group synergy that can carry them out of an alcoholic abyss. This group synergy comes in the form of a Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP). With its main tagline being, “Created by lawyers for lawyers,” a LAP functions as both a confidential hotline and a support group. There, trained experts offer heartfelt counseling to lawyers losing a case against alcoholism, addiction, depression, stress, and other mental health issues. Operating on a 24-hour hotline, the LAP is the perfect third party between the lawyer and the liquor bottle. It should also be the premier answer to lawyers battling a potential death sentence by…show more content…
If not a fellow colleague, then a personal friend or family member will make an excellent surrogate for communication. When alcoholism and other stress-related disorders has a lawyer under heavy scrutiny from his or her own personal jury, an LAP and other forms of group synergy is the perfect trump card to battle back and prove that great strength comes not from their own determination, but through the support of their friends and family. Substance abuse is just one of the many problems that lawyers face every day when it comes to clients, colleagues, and courtroom dramas. However, it is by far the direst, and in desperate need of attention. Having this competitive mentality when it comes to the legal profession provides a toxic environment for both the lawyer and the client. The primary difference between the push for more LAPs and the court-mandated hearings is quite simple: action over inaction. The court hearings exemplify the age-old adage to “do as they say, not as they do.” The other gives the lawyer the power to ask for help, and that help shall be given. Telling a lawyer the path to overcoming their personal demons is not the same as showing them the people whose personal and work lives were devastated in their wake of self-destruction. A lawyer cannot simply “get over it,” without understanding how to get over it. That can only be accomplished when the attorney reaches out for
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