Admitted to the Lobby Bar

I recently attended a CLE class in downtown Chicago. Like so many continuing education or professional development meetings, it was held in a nice downtown hotel. As the class was finishing and people were leaving, I heard one attorney joke, I’m admitted to the Lobby Bar.

And at first glance seems like such an easy joke when you consider lawyers networking and comparing where they are barred. Indeed, many attorneys might not even give a second thought about going to the hotel bar after a conference or networking event or joking about alcohol consumption. Yet for too many in the profession, that is the root of a much bigger problem.

When someone is in recovery from alcohol abuse, you often hear people talk about how they need to ‘change their relationship with alcohol.’ Some do that by participating in ‘Dry January,’ which we are a few days into. Others do that by making New Year’s Resolutions about their drinking or attending meetings. Yet the truth is that when it comes to the legal profession, many would be served if the profession itself changed its relationship with alcohol.

I say this because far too many office parties, networking events, conferences, etc, feature bars, often open bars, making drinking all too easy and all too often second nature. Add in the stress of the legal profession, which we’ve talked about before, and the tendency for some to self-medicate with alcohol, and you have a recipe for trouble.

If the profession is serious about addressing attorney well-being, this is an obvious place to start. In lieu of the entire profession changing, however, we have some suggestions.

1. Therapy or a 12-step program (or both);

2. Peer support with an organization like the LegalMind Society;

3. Changing environments;

4. Changing social circles or being honest with your current social network;

5. Making time for self-care to replace the self-medication that occurred with drinking;

6. Keeping a journal to explore your behaviors as well as the causes of those behaviors.

And these are all things we can help you with at the LegalMind Society. Some of our peer support staff know this problem all too well. For example, when I was first dealing with major depressive episodes, I self-medicated with alcohol in a very dangerous way. Examining my relationship with alcohol and the reasons for my drinking was an important step in my recovery.

And they are a step that we can help you with as well. Simply click here to connect with us through one of our support programs.