Life After Meth: A Lawyer’s Story

life after methThe Washington State Bar Association journal, NW Lawyer, includes this first-hand account of a Seattle prosecutor’s meth addiction, which led to his conviction and disbarment. He completed rehab, spent time in the Washington state prison system, and eventually, was reinstated to the bar.  He still practices law, and works as a recovery coach for meth-addicted lawyers around the country.

It’s a chilling story that will give you insight into writing about drug-addicted characters, particularly lawyers, and may give you character ideas.

12 thoughts on “Life After Meth: A Lawyer’s Story

  1. What a great article. I too was under the impression that meth addiction was very difficult and near impossible to overcome. I am glad to see that myth is completely wrong. What a wonderful story. Though he may not believe in God it is quite apparent that God believes in him.

  2. Thanks for sharing this, Leslie. It’s the best article I’ve read because it clearly and understandably explains the chemistry of addiction, i.e. the difference in the amount of dopamine released in the brain comparing sex, cocaine, and meth, as well as the effect on impulse control and judgment.

    My brother was a trendsetter in the late ’70s, starting his meth addiction when it was called “crystal” and still below the public radar. It killed him before he was fifty, after multiple trips through rehab which only provided temporary respite from the addiction.

    My husband and I learned about the environmental corollary of meth damage when we owned a business in the tiny town of Ramona, CA in the ’80s when it held the dubious distinction of being the meth capital of the world. During routine soil testing, groundwater beneath our property showed meth residue. Eventually law enforcement traced the residue to a lab upstream of us that was dumping the chemical in the dirt, allowing it to seep into an underground stream.

    The human and environmental toll is inestimable.

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