Substance Abuse

​ -Lots of networking, cocktail receptions​ -Can become a way to relieve stress aftera long workday​ -Fortunately, post-COVID it has becomemore popular to offer mocktails or to takea break from drinking​ -Many Lawyer Assistance Programs offerclinical support or harm-reduction basedsupport​ ​ ​ Now we are going to move into the stress management portion of the presentation. These are some tips that I have gathered in the past few years working as a psychotherapist for law students. We wanted to issue a cautionary note about alcohol consumption. The American Bar Association reports that one in every five attorneys may be a "problem drinker," meaning that they drink alcohol in amounts that are considered harmful to physical and mental health. This is double the rate of "problem drinkers" in the general population. While there are many opportunities to have mocktails and socialize in either sober or sober-curious environments, there may be the temptation to use alcohol as a way to cope with stress. The CDC recommends that you do not start drinking alcohol at all, if you do not currently drink alcohol. If you do drink alcohol, please note that the dietary guidelines suggest 1 drink or less per day for women or 2 drinks or less per day for men, in order to remain "low-risk." Also, please be mindful that alcohol poisoning can be life-threatening. Your liver can only process small amounts of alcohol at a time. A recent meta-analyses published in JAMA reported that low-risk drinking does not appear protective or appear to offer health benefits. ​ ​ Sources:​ Zhao J, Stockwell T, Naimi T, et al. Association between daily alcohol intake and risk of all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analyses. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(3):e236185. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.6185​ ​ ​