Help for Law Students with Substance Abuse Problems

As a law student, you’re probably all too aware that the stress of law school can lead to mental health issues like depression, anxiety, even suicide. One of the major risk factors of mental health disorders is substance abuse. According to the ABA Substance Abuse & Mental Health Toolkit, the substance most frequently abused by law students is alcohol, with prescription drug abuse also on the rise.

A 2014 Survey of Law Student Well Being reported that

• 43% of law students reported binge drinking at least once in the last two weeks
• 22% reported binge drinking two or more times in the prior two weeks
• Over 14% reported the use of some prescription drug without a prescription in the prior year.

Help is available for alcohol and drug abuse problems on campus through the CSU Counseling Center. Another service that you might not realize is an option for you is OLAP, the Ohio Lawyers Assistance Program. OLAP doesn’t just help lawyers and judges – their services are available to law students, too. OLAP can work to diagnose a substance abuse problem, offer recommendations, interventions, monitoring and support, and support for concerned family and friends.  OLAP also offers a self-test that runs you through some of the “tell-tale signs” of alcohol and drug abuse.