Alcohol & Drugs

Alcohol & Drug Addiction

Alcoholism/drug addiction is not a moral issue, but rather it is a treatable illness. Chemical dependency is a chemical brain disease that may be arrested (not cured) by treatment

Some symptoms of dependency are:

• The inability to guarantee one’s actions after starting to drink or use drugs.
• Deteriorating health accompanying a pattern of heavy drinking or drugging
• Impaired ability to concentrate
• Disrupted relationships
• Denial that drinking or drugs is a problem when it is obvious to others, or
• Defiance, impatience, intolerance, impulsiveness and depression

Chemical dependency is a progressive disease; it only gets worse, never better. Once a person becomes chemically dependent, there exists a condition of anxiety relieved only by a drink or a drug and which, once relieved sets up the demand for more. Protracted alcohol and drug abuse can cause chemical changes in the brain. Once that occurs the result is chemical dependency, a chronic condition that can be successfully treated but never cured.

Recognizing this acute social and medical problem, the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program, Inc. (JLAP) has been established to offer confidential assistance to lawyers and judges whose personal and professional lives are threatened by the impact of problems caused by alcoholism/drug addiction.

Our goal is to prevent damaged careers and reputations by providing confidential assistance in the form of insight, education, referrals to sources of professional help, and support during the recovery process so as to restore personal health and professional confidence.