Lawyers, Judges Abuse Painkillers At Twice Normal Rate

The legal profession has twice the prescription painkiller addiction rate of the normal population, according to Patrick Krill, director of a Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation program that focuses on lawyers and judges. Worryingly, “The more professional stature you have, the less likely you are going to be forced into recovery, and the longer your addiction is likely to go on unchecked,” Krill said. The proliferation of addiction is adversely impacting employers. One study found that opioid abuse alone cost employers more than $25 billion just in 2007, NPR reports. However, testing firm Quest Diagnostics found that only 13 percent of the roughly 6.5 million workplace drug tests screen for prescription painkillers.