It is widely accepted that 10% of the adult population are alcoholics. An alcoholic is a man or woman who is addicted to alcohol, as opposed to someone who is categorized as a problem drinker or alcohol abuser.

An Alcoholic is an individual who experiences loss of control over the amount that they drink on any occasion. They will have difficulty in permanently abstaining, be preoccupied with drinking and have serious consequences in one or more of their major life areas. They will tend to deny they have a problem, often problems showing up at work last. The result of the Alcoholism is deterioration in health, quality of life, family life and in the professional ability of the drinker. Recent studies found that the rate of alcoholism in the legal profession at between 15% and 24%. Roughly 1 in 5 lawyers is addicted to alcohol.

Alcoholism is a powerful problem and difficult problem to understand at the best of times. Most of the Medical population of The UK and Europe have little or no training in Alcoholism and as a result fail to grasp even the basics of Alcohol Treatment and recovery. The result of this is inadequate treatment, misdiagnosis, and mismanagement of those suffering from Addiction to Alcohol. Only specialist Doctors and Therapists who have undergone specific intensive training in this difficult field are qualified to give help and treatment to this considerable population. Thankfully in the UK those individual specialist Therapists are on the increase and are helping to contribute to a positive change in attitude towards this widespread disease.

If it is difficult for our Medical workers to understand this illness then the Denial experienced by Industry and in particular the Legal Profession is understandable. Many believe that Alcoholics are tramps, down and outs, inadequate and general reprobates. An Alcoholic is though of as a weak person. Often individuals feel angry and confused when discovering an alcoholic ‘in the wood pile’ and this ambivalence and hostility can create problems when trying to offer appropriate help and also when a successfully treated individual attempts to make a return to work. Hostility and a punitive attitude can prevail, making the work environment a more stressful world rather that a welcoming supportive environ. 

The denial we are experiencing across the board is understandable since Alcoholism or Drug addiction somehow can be seen as a kind of personal slur on The Profession; an embarrassment to The Firm; a shame on us all. We do not like to consider nor accept that we are highly likely to find flawed individuals, ill individuals, within our circle, within our family or within our team. And yet, that is the truth of it; even Lawyers are flawed and vulnerable to this illness. The truth is anyone who drinks long enough and hard enough; all things being equal, given enough time, can become an Alcoholic – no special qualifications needed.

1 in 10 of the population is an alcoholic. In some micro cultures the number is far higher; this is true of many professional cultures: Journalists, Police Force, City Brokers, Doctors and Dentists and Lawyers. In the legal profession the number is approximately 1 in 5; which means that 20% of your firm could be suffering from Alcoholism right now. However, Alcoholism is also known as the hidden disease, the drastic effects becoming increasingly obvious only in the later stages. It is difficult to tell the Alcoholic from the average heavy drinker – they don’t all have red noses.

The stigma attached to Doctors, Dentists & Lawyers who suffer from Alcoholism is so great in Britain that they have had to set up secret support groups to help those individuals. Those friends, these colleagues of yours are afraid that they will lose their livelihood; their jobs; their reputations; their place in society. If they had cancer due to smoking, then the story would be entirely different. 

Is your firm facing the realities expressed herein? Are you helping those who are still suffering, get the help they need. Are you helping them successfully enter recovery and return to work rehabilitated. Or are your attitudes and prejudice getting in the way of us giving them help or getting in the way of rebuilding positive relationships with them? Are you treating alcoholics in the same way as you would treat a colleague who was diagnosed with cancer or heart disease?