Meet the Alabama Lawyer Assistance Program, 0317 ALBJ, 78 The Alabama Lawyer 112 (2017)
| Author | Robert B. Thornhill, J. |
Robert B. Thornhill, J.
As the director of the Alabama Lawyer Assistance Program, I see or hear about attorneys almost every day who are struggling with undiagnosed and/or untreated mental health issues such as alcoholism, drug addiction, depression or anxiety. These maladies always result in inevitably worsening negative consequences over time without treatment and recovery. The negative consequences include the utter devastation of relationships, warped lives of blameless children, lost productivity at work, eventual loss of employment, formal complaints to the Alabama State Bar, malpractice claims, the decline of physical health, cognitive impairment, loss of personal integrity and eventually despair, hopelessness and death.
I also get to see miracles unfolding on a daily basis. I get to witness people who have emerged from a seemingly hopeless state of existence to a genuine path of recovery and rebirth. We do live in an age of miracles! It is indescribably wonderful to watch this process unfold, to see families reunited, careers salvaged and often greatly improved, to watch mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health improve and to see joy in the faces of small children who look up to their parents for affirmation and a sense of value.
This edition of The Alabama Lawyer is dedicated to the attorneys, law students and judges who need our assistance, and to those who have found the path to recovery and wellness. It is also intended for colleagues, family members and loved ones who often see this process of self-destruction and do not know what to do. It contains numerous articles on the topics of addiction, depression, stress, mental health, treatment and recovery. I am so grateful for the many people who have taken the time and effort to contribute to this edition and to demonstrate their willingness to be of service.
My work with the Alabama Lawyer Assistance Program, and the experience of the dedicated and passionate attorneys who serve on our committee, is very rarely “normal” or “even-keeled.” We expect to be faced with scenarios and situations that often seem impossible to handle. Addicts and alcoholics are stricken with a malady that causes them to have little insight into the seriousness of their affliction, and the disease is constantly using their own minds to keep...
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