Study discusses lawyers’ alcohol, behavior problems

An author of a new study that says lawyers experience alcohol-related and behavioral problems at a higher rate than other professions was in San Diego on Saturday to discuss the findings.

The national study, posted online last week by the Journal of Addiction Medicine, reported that more than 21 percent of licensed, employed attorneys qualify as problem drinkers, 28 percent struggle with some level of depression, and 19 percent demonstrate symptoms of anxiety.

Younger attorneys in the first 10 years of practice exhibit the highest incidence of these problems, the report said. Previous research had indicated that the rates of problem drinking increased as people spent more time in the legal profession.

Patrick R. Krill, an attorney and clinician who is also the lead author of the study, has called the data “alarming.” He presented the findings during the American Bar Association’s mid-year meeting held in San Diego.

One of the co-authors, Linda Albert, also serves on the association’s Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs. The study was conducted by the commission and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.

The authors concluded from their findings that lawyers experience problematic drinking that is “hazardous, harmful, or otherwise generally consistent with alcohol use disorders” at a rate much higher than other populations, including doctors.

They also said depression, anxiety and stress are significant problems for lawyers, the levels of which were strongly associated with sex, age, years in practice, position within a law firm and work environment.

More than 12,800 people from 19 states participated in the study by filling out a survey. The participants were split fairly evenly between men and women, and their ages fell into categories ranging from 30 and under to 71 years and older. The most commonly reported age group was 31 to 40 years old.

The majority — more than 91 percent — identified as white or Caucasian.