It is a sad but true statistic that professional attorneys are twice as likely to have an addiction problem as the rest of the population. Approximately one out of five lawyers battle addiction at some point in their career, typically because they either encountered it in law school and it became a habit, or because they turned to it to cope with the high levels of stress that legal professions are known for.

A majority of the addiction cases found in legal professions are related to substance abuse, which can begin as early as the first year of law school. Intervening and treating addictions found among attorneys is challenging because of the type of person found in this profession. The high levels of intelligence, scrutiny and persuasion can be part of the individual’s downfall if they do not want to recognize or properly assess their own addictive behavior. This can lead to dishonesty, shame, denial and manipulation.

In order to confront and treat this complex type of addiction, it is necessary to enlist the services of medical and mental health care professionals who are familiar with the legal profession, who understand the unique challenges that attorneys face. A rehabilitation treatment program that specializes in legal professions is what practicing attorneys need in order to restore their reputations, career paths and sobriety while remaining in the legal world.

At an inpatient rehabilitation center that specializes in addiction within the legal profession, clients can expect to find group and individual counseling, educational course material, therapeutic ventures and privacy. Clients will also have the opportunity to form relationships and support systems with their peers who are staying at the facility, and will have access to several different resources for ongoing support once the treatment is finished. This kind of individualized care will prevent future relapses and successfully allow the attorney to continue practicing law.