Berks Barrister Winter 2018 - 15

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* Upon request, communication with third parties and
stakeholders to plan work and family reintegration
Post-Treatment/Aftercare
* Customized recovery, reintegration and relapse prevention
plan
* Alcohol and drug monitoring available
* Communication established (when authorized) with family,
employer, licensing board or disciplinary board
* Access to Director and aftercare services, including My First
Year of Recovery, extended care, outpatient treatment, and
sober living
* Alumni Support network
* Referral to state lawyer assistance programs
Of these services, I have found over the past seven years that
the pre-entry calls with the impaired lawyers themselves are often
the most critical. They almost uniformly do not think they can
leave their practice and their home for 28 days (the typical length
of stay, although seven-day residential assessments are an option).
They will lose their clients. There are obligations only they can
handle. Their reputations will be compromised. The world will,
literally, end.
Most of my suggestions at this point are practical (how to
cover cases, how to postpone matters, what flexibility I can permit
them while in treatment) as well as long-term. The fact is, if they
do not treat a disease that is chronic and progressive - similar
to cancer, diabetes, etc. - they will continue their downhill

plunge. They will get sicker. They will lose their practice, their
relationships, their money. And, they will die. Treat the disease
now, like other chronic diseases, and actually emerge better than
ever, for the remainder of their career and life.
I have also found that the work we do on the back-end
of treatment in terms of maintaining their career or making
necessary changes based on new purpose in recovery is invaluable.
Lawyers leaving treatment, left to their own devices, predictably
wish to hit the ground running. They want to show the world,
and especially their partners and clients, they are "fixed." They are
worried clients have deserted them and they have lost income and
billable hours. They are guilty that others have had to cover for
them.
But this instinct is incompatible with recovery from addiction,
which is not reached with only a 28-day stay in the "bubble" of
residential treatment. Recovery is gradual and requires a tempered
and structured healing. Going back to work or changing careers
slower rather than faster is essential, or relapse is predictable.
Some Representative Patients
Over the past year, we have treated every kind of legal
professional, from law students to retired attorneys. A few
examples might illustrate how strategic attention to professional
issues can assist recovery.
1.Sarah is a 28-year-old heroin addict who has had a solo
practice for two years. She is single and her parents have

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The firm isn't the only one counting on you.

Face addiction head on today.
Caron's innovative program is uniquely designed for and by legal professionals
to address the specific pressures and stresses of the legal world. Our expert
clinical team will treat you with privacy, discretion and personalized care as you
gain the tools you need to take control of your addiction and get your life and
career back on track.
You don't have to do this alone. Start now by calling
800-854-6023 or visiting Caron.org/StartYourRecovery

Winter 2018 | 15
http://www.berksbar.com/ http://www.Caron.org/StartYourRecovery
Berks Barrister Winter 2018

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