Denial is a big part of addiction. The step from denial into recovery is a huge one, and for women lawyers it is very large indeed. As a young associate in a private firm, I faced a terrible fear. That fear was about addiction. I had gone straight from college into law school and from […]
Posts Tagged ‘lawyers’
Recognizing Denial
Posted byWe all struggle with denial. Denial is part of being human. It affects everything we do, the way we think, what we believe, and how we perceive our world. Denial is our ego’s way of dealing with realities that are painful or unpleasant. Denial shades our memories, prejudices our perception and manipulates our future. We […]
Suicide – A Misunderstood Tragedy
Posted byThese articles are written by the family members of Mississippi lawyers lost to suicide. But for the Grace of God these stories could be about anyone of us affected with these illnesses. Rodney, Robert, and Portrait were real people, loving fathers, husbands, and lawyers. Often our culture focuses on “the suicide.” With these stories we […]
The Addictive Personality and the Legal Profession
Posted byOne of the questions I get asked over and over in meetings with local bars across the state is, “Are lawyers really that much more likely to become alcoholics or drug addicts?” Or, said another way, are lawyers more apt than others to contract addictive disease? The statistics for the general population reflect that approximately […]
Work Dissatisfaction: Common Causes, Uncommon Solutions
Posted by“I’m one of them,” quipped Jesse in a staccato voice. “One of whom,” replied the professional counselor. “Oh, you know, one of those lawyers branded a success. It looks like it’s working; that is, on the outside. But, on the inside it’s not happening!” Jesse continued, “I’m thinking: ‘Is this really what I want from my career […]
Depression and Suicide: One Bar’s Story
Posted byIn the years between 1984 and 1993, the Mecklenburg County Bar Association in Charlotte, NC lost eight members to suicide. Put in the context of my arrival as the bar’s first executive director in 1984, this translates to eight suicides in nine years. Seven men and one woman took their lives in that span of […]