There has been so much written about Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and
Chemical Dependency that it is difficult even for professionals in the
field of addictions to define the problem.

Actually, it is really easy to define and understand if we keep it
simple. Alcoholism is a primary, chronic, progressive disease
characterized by excessive drinking, compulsion, loss of control and
observable symptoms. It is a health issue to be treated, like any
other illness, not a moral issue to be resolved.

Alcoholism is a devastating disease that affects a person physically,
mentally, emotionally, spiritually and socially. A closer look at the
definition will help us understand it more.

Alcoholism is a primary condition, rather than secondary to other
diseases. It is chronic in that it can be fatal if untreated. It is
the 3rd leading disease killer behind heart disease and cancer. At
least 250,000 people in the United States die annually from the
disease.

It is progressive in that it will follow a predictable course of
deterioration and moves through various stages if untreated.
Incidentally, there is no cure for alcoholism. The method of arresting
the disease accepted by treatment professionals is complete
abstinence.

Looking further at our definition, excessive drinking simply means
that one's drinking causes problems in one or more of the major life
areas of the problem drinker's life including physical/emotional
health, marriage/relationships, legal,work, financial and spiritual.
It is the impact that alcohol has on these life areas, rather than the
amount or frequency of consumption, that is a decisive
factor.Compulsion for the alcoholic is continuing to drink alcohol,
despite continuing negative consequences. The problem drinker will
usually make promises to quit, often with sincerity and conviction,
yet will continue to drink.

Loss of control is at the heart of the alcoholic dilemma. He or she
loses the ability to maintain control of when they drink, how much
they drink and in some cases what their behavior will be.Like any
other disease, alcoholism has observable symptoms. While they are
common to most alcoholics, rarely has an alcoholic experienced all of
them. The symptoms fall within the framework of three stages, although
some of the symptoms can be found in more than one stage.

Early Stage Symptoms:
· Relief drinking (drinking to change the way a person feels).
· Drunk driving.
· Psychological dependency on alcohol to function, fit in and have
fun.
· Blackouts (temporary amnesia, not necessarily passing out).
· Pre-drinking drinking (drinking before going to the party).

Middle Stage Symptoms:
· Denial
· Marital/familyproblems
· Work and career problems
· Legal problems
· Minimizing drinking
· Grandiosity
· Lying
· Moral decay
· Alibis
· Fear
· Low self-esteem
· Blaming behaviors
· Sense of failure
· Defensive
· Gulping drinks
· Drunk driving
· Blackouts
· Pre-drinking drinking
· Impotency
· Physical dependency

Late Stage Symptoms
· Physical dependency
· "Don't care" attitude
· Incarcerated/institutionalized
· Loss of marriage, family & career
· Physical damage
· Brain
· Liver
· Heart
· Pancreas
· Suicidal

Most active alcoholics do not reach the late stage of alcoholism. As a
matter of fact, the life span of the average active alcoholic is 15 to
20 years less than the recovering alcoholic or non-alcoholic. They
usually die from:
Accidents:
· Home
· Job
· Auto
Suicides
Physical Deterioration:
· Brain
· Heart
· Cancer
· Hepatitis
· Pancreatitis
· Cirrhosis of the liver
· Respiratory complications
· Malnutrition

Let us now move to a more specific application to the legal
profession. The following symptoms represent what you might see in the
legal environment.
· Shows up in the office or court under the influence
· Rude/inappropriatebehavior
· Not returning phone calls
· Late or failure to keep appointments with clients
· Late or absent for court appearances
· Inappropriate anger outbursts
· Office disruption and tension
· Dictatorial
· Mistakes
· Procrastination
· Inattention
· Neglect
· Co-mingling or missing funds
· Intoxicated at Bar or social occasions
· Missed deadlines
· Blames secretary or others
· Frequently gets other attorneys to make court appearances on his or
her behalf

How big is the problem?There are approximately 18 million Americans
with alcoholism or alcohol abuse. It is estimated that 15% to 18% of
lawyers have an alcohol problem, compared to 7% to 10% of the general
population. Substance abuse is a causal factor in over 50% of all
disciplinary and malpractice complaints. It is obvious that substance
abuse and particularly alcohol abuse, is a major problem in the Legal
Profession today.

Let us now look at what causes alcoholism. While there has been
considerable neurological research conducted on alcoholics,
particularly in the last 25 years, there is no known definitive causal
factor. Alcoholism does seem to run in families, and while there
certainly is an inherited predisposition toward the disease,
environmental factors are significant as well. For the alcoholic, the
issue is not "why am I an alcoholic?" but rather, "now that I am one,
what do I do about it?"

Before we address the solution, I would like to dispel a few myths
that surround alcoholism.

Myth #1. Most alcoholics are "skid row" bums.
Less than 3% of the alcoholic population lives on "skid row". The
typical alcoholic is middle aged, married and employed.

Myth #2. The alcoholic must lose everything before he or she can be
helped.
Family and colleagues can intervene in a caring way to help the
problem drinker break through the denial before he or she loses
everything.




http://www.mobar.org/law/alcohol.htm