I came across this Forbes article discussing efforts in New York to curb the over-prescription of drugs. The Attorney General’s I-STOP bill, proposing the institution of a computer system that would track the medical history of patients to prevent against drug abuse, is facing backlash from some members of the medical community. As the article notes, New York “ranks 11th in the nation for admissions to chemical dependence programs for abuse of opioids other than heroin”.

This made me think of our discussion on Thursday regarding the prevalence of self-medication – through prescription drugs, alcohol and caffeine – in order to disassociate from the ‘soul splitting’ involved in the legal profession and to cope with those times “when you’re working on some deal that, if you were to think it through, you’d realize that it was going to ruin the lives of thousands of people and their families”. I think part of the problem may be that dependency on these substances to cope with moral compromise and cognitive dissonance is not viewed as an addiction or a crutch, but is normalized and accepted by those engaged in the same profession and society at large. The article’s discussion of the dangers inherent in over-prescription retains a focus on “crooked doctors, street-level drug dealers, and doctor-shopping addicts”. This perpetuates stereotypes associated with serious drugs - primarily that these drug problems are confined to a particular subset of society that doesn’t include ‘us’. There is significantly less attention paid to the prevalence of addiction within the employed upper-middle class.

While not as serious as prescription drugs, the routine use of caffeine and alcohol for coping with work and social situations is normalized even in the law school context. I’m not knocking a good cup of joe and rum and coke, but it is interesting to think about why we have come to believe in the necessity of these substances for proper functioning in day-to-day life. Are we attempting to subvert true consciousness and remain in denial of our moral ‘split’ through over-medication and consumption of performance enhancing drugs? I think this explanation, while perhaps true in certain cases, may be overreaching and an improper generalization to make. It seems less likely that my morning cup of coffee or evening cocktail is a manifestation of my subconscious attempt to cope with the splitting of my soul, and more likely that I have just been socially conditioned to use these devices. Perhaps we are brought up to believe that if we “time when it hits” just right, our “consciousness is heightened and everything glows” – but regardless, does this really matter? As Eben said, if all you’re selling is time not judgment, who cares? And even if we were to choose to dismiss the econodwarf, and start measuring our worth not by time spent but by judgment proffered, would anyone care then? Or have these processes of making it through the day and engaging socially with others become so entrenched and so normalized in society that no one would take notice of our dependence?

-- MeaganBurrows - 03 Mar 2012