The Illinois Lawyers Assistance Program has released a survey, based on feedback from 6,700 lawyers, assessing their well-being and addressing issues ranging from mental health and stress levels to alcohol and drug use.
Lawyers Under Stress Turn to Gambling, Drugs, Alcohol
The survey seeks to better understand how work-related stress is affecting mental health in the guild, with 3% of respondents saying that they experienced problem gambling, 53% of those respondents saying that they gambled at least once a week, and 12% daily.
Illinois Lawyers Assistance Program executive director Diana Uchiyama announced the results of the survey and said that mental well-being in the profession was “the elephant in the room.”
Understandably, those in the age group between 25 and 35 were the most likely to actually be gambling. This is the latest survey to focus on assessing the mental well-being of lawyers who experience high rates of stress, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse.
One in five Illinois lawyers say that their mental health is fair or poor, and a third of those respondents also said that they had experienced suicidal thoughts.
The survey noted that gambling was much easier to hide as an addiction compared to alcohol and drugs. Out of the problematic gamblers, 30% reported that they had experienced negative consequences in their lives because of their engagement with the activity.
Understanding Why Lawyers Gamble
Overall, 50% of all lawyers engaged in some form of gambling, with most engaging in various activities (29%). However, 20% only bought lottery tickets.
49% of lawyers who have done any gambling in the past year were asked if they wagered more than they intended to (6%), if they lied to their friends and family about their gambling (3%), and whether their gambling has led to financial difficulties (1%).
There were various reasons behind the decision to gamble as well, with 74% citing the thrill of winning/competition, 50% arguing it was entertaining and fun, 34% saying they did so to escape their worries, and 23% saying they also gambled to recover money from previous losses.
The last factor is interesting because lawyers, who are highly educated individuals, still fall into common gambling fallacies. Only 3% of interviewees sought help for their problem gambling behavior.