Articles | Page 7 of 15

Demystifying 12-Step Programs

If you are bewildered by the workings of 12-step programs but think that you or someone you know might benefit from one, this article is dedicated to you. If someone…

Alcoholism: Designed For Lawyers

If I had to pick the quintessential malady to fit lawyers it would have to be alcoholism. No other affliction brings together the conditions under which law is practiced and…

Good Mental Health and the Lawyer’s Gift

“The gift is to the giver, and comes back most to him — it cannot fail” –Walt Whitman. In a recent speech in Laramie Wyoming, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day…

Got Everything Done, Died Anyway

So might the epitaph of many of us read. Or, “Tried to get everything done, didn’t and died anyway.” Are we just trying to get through the day and check…

Hammurabi and Addiction

Not too long ago the headline for this column was “The Chemistry of Self-Centeredness” (Bar Journal, Winter 1997, vol. 2 # 4). In the Bill Moyers special on addiction, the…

Happiness

If Professor Daniel Gilbert is right, then you are wrong to believe that a new car will make you as happy as you imagine it will. You are wrong to…

The Holiday Season Poses a Challenge for Compulsive Overeaters

Overeating is a tradition of the holiday season, with most people taking great delight in big meals, high-fat munchies, high-calorie sauces and spreads, and rich desserts. For compulsive overeaters, however,…

Workaholics: An Honorable Addiction

“I’ve achieved every goal I ever set, and I still feel empty.” The words vary. The message is the same. Uttered with defeat and resignation, they lack the exhilaration promised…

Hope

One of the most difficult aspects of helping a person struggling with alcoholism or depression is to be able to bring hope. We don’t derive hope from taking tests for…

Joe’s Brain (Alcoholism and the Brain)

A lawyer (let’s call him Joe) comes home every day and pours a big drink into a Bobcats cup, goes into his den and closes the door. Because his wife…

Lawyer Anxiety

One of the leading mental health issues facing lawyers, including lawyers suffering from alcohol addiction or depression, is anxiety. Anxiety can be a terrible emotional experience. It is a feeling…

Lawyer Suicide

Society puts the burden of coming to grips with homicide on lawyers and the justice system. It is a lawyer’s job to prosecute the accused, try the case, and defend…