Old hands 'are more prone to alcohol addiction'

Solicitors who have been qualified for more than 20 years are four times as likely to suffer from alcohol addiction than their younger colleagues, according to recently released figures.Levels of alcohol abuse steadily increase the longer a solicitor has been qualified, according to research released by LawCare, the support service for lawyers formerly known as SolCare.Only 17% of trainees and assistants calling the service reported alcohol problems, compared to 40% of partners and sole practitioners.

LawCare co-ordinator Barry Pritchard said: 'There is a clear gap between the top and the bottom of the profession in terms of alcohol abuse.

'Older solicitors have more alcohol problems because they do not deal with their stress issues earlier on in life - they tend to go to the pub and relax with a drink after a stressful day.

As the days become more stressful, the drinking becomes heavier.

By the time they reach a certain age many have a drink problem.'The number of calls received by the service has increased by one-third over the last year.

Of the 181 calls taken - 156 from solicitors in England and Wales - 75% were about stress in the workplace, a 9% increase from last year, and 22% were about alcohol concerns.Mr Pritchard said that where in previous years, most stress cases have cited sheer workload, lack of adequate training, support or supervision, or personal and family problems as the cause of their stress, in 2001 'we began to hear more cases of outright bullying and harassment'.Although the numbers are small, he said it showed 'that more people are willing to pick up the phone and accept that there is a problem in their workplace'.See Editorial.By Victoria MacCallum