Society & Culture
The legal profession is the only field where a negativity mindset is an advantage. This constant negativity and stress can lead to depression, anxiety, suicide, and addiction. As a former lawyer in recovery from alcoholism and addiction, this episode speaks to the experiences of many in my community. Today I am bringing you an interview that I did over the summer with Eilene Zimmerman who I first discovered after reading her viral article in the New York Times called, “The Lawyer, The Addict.” I actually was doing my own research on this intersection between lawyers and addiction and this was a fascinating story about Eilene and her husband Peter, a high-powered attorney who died of a drug overdose, without her even knowing he had an addiction. What is interesting to me about this story is the many ways that our cultural representations of addiction and drug and alcohol use mask the reality that these problems happen at every level of society and this rise of white collar addiction is actually a testament to some of the systemic issues arising from materialism, wealth, spiritual or emotional detachment and the pressure of career or financial success. This interview is actually a conversation about her story and her book Smacked, which is currently being optioned for film by Elizabeth Moss and her film company Love & Squalor, who you might know from Madmen and The Handmaid’s Tale. We talk about why attorneys have a propensity for addiction, co-dependency and marriage to an addict, and why the competition and conditioning of the legal profession is killing lawyers. Eilene also shares about her own trauma recovery, and how writing a memoir and her story helped her overcome grief, loss, and reclaim her sense of self. Email: kate@restoryatherapy.com @restorya on Instagram Facebook: Kate Marlena-Restorya Restorya is a member of Bear Radio, the premier English speaking podcast network of Berlin Our theme music is the song JEANNE by KENICHI & THE SUN from album White Fire which you can find here.