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    Wisconsin Lawyer
    December 01, 2000

    Wisconsin Lawyer December 2000: Inside the Bar

     

    Wisconsin Lawyer December 2000

    Vol. 73, No. 12, December 2000

    Inside the Bar


    Nick Charles was a Drunk
    No Laughing Matter

    by George C. Brown,
    State Bar executive director

    George Brown I'M AN OLD MOVIE BUFF, PARTICULARLY of films from the late 1930s through the 1940s. Some of my favorites include "The Thin Man" series that starred William Powell and Myrna Loy as reluctant detectives Nick and Nora Charles. I particularly enjoy the swift, yet good-natured, sparring between Nick and Nora and the always bumbling police detectives as they search for the surprise murderer, all noir-ishly filmed in glorious black and white.

    What I enjoy less and less is the drinking. In one memorable scene Nora bursts into a fashionable bar after a day of Christmas shopping to find that Nick is already six martinis ahead of her. She intends to catch up and orders the bartender to line up six while Nick goes to work on his seventh. The next morning she wakes up with a monstrous hangover. Not only does Nick appear just fine, but after he finishes shooting glass ornaments from the Christmas tree with his new pellet pistol, he starts mixing himself another cocktail before breakfast.

    All of this is done with mirth and good humor. But let's face it, Nick Charles was a drunk.

    What was funny before is discomfiting now. We hold different societal expectations today than we did 60 or even 20 years ago. Tougher laws against drunk driving, greater recognition of the health hazards of over-drinking, and understanding that alcoholism is both a symptom and a disease that can be treated, seriously question the idea that alcoholism is mirthful and humorous.

    If Nick Charles were a Wisconsin lawyer today, help would be just a phone call away. The State Bar's Wisconsin Lawyer Assistance Program is designed to help the Nick Charleses of our association. WisLAP works to address Wisconsin lawyers' problems with alcohol, drugs, and stress. Two State Bar staff members spend most of their time working with this program. Lea Landmann works almost exclusively with lawyers suffering from alcoholism. Shell Goar, who oversees the program, concentrates principally on stress and depression issues, which, some argue, lead to the abuse of alcohol and drugs. Both staff members work with numerous volunteer attorneys who freely give their time and talents to help their colleagues in need.

    Many state bars offer lawyer assistance programs to help attorneys overcome alcoholism, but Wisconsin is relatively unique in providing help for the stress and depression that can seem so overwhelming - especially during the holidays.

    If you need help, or if you know a lawyer, whether friend, colleague, or partner, who needs help, just call (800) 543-2625. Let us all have a truly happy holiday season.


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