Lawyers are under a great deal of pressure. From the first days of law school, we are conditioned to endure difficult schedules that require working more than 70 hours a week. We traditionally receive no training about how to handle stress in healthy ways. For many, decompressing often translates into drinking afterwards to relax. Then the cycle repeats. The high level of stress and unhealthy attempts to cope become normalized—leading lawyers to accept and often minimize destructive behavior as if it does not matter.
