Jeff Parker

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT JEFF PARKER

Four years to the date after I took my last drink, I stood in the very courtroom in downtown Seattle where years earlier, I spent a grueling month trying a multi-million dollar civil case. But on this occasion, I wasn\'t in court as a lawyer representing a client, I was being sentenced for conduct that occurred at the tail end of my active addiction to alcohol - misappropriating funds from my trust account. Addiction causes desperation that separates one from his moral compass. I became a person who wasn\'t me in my active use. There is an age-old adage in the recovery community - Addiction leads to only three places: jails, institutions, and death. I\'ve done jail, institutions, and I nearly died. I was a highly respected, successful attorney with my own law firm. But gradually, alcohol began to overtake my life, until suddenly, it took everything. I lost my family, my home, my money, my law practice, my law license, and all hope of ever escaping the ruthless cycle of misery that is active use addiction. My story has a happy ending. Despite being given less than a 10% chance of survival by the doctors at Harborview Hospital, I lived. Despite having a Department of Corrections number, I now enjoy a wonderful, purpose-filled life, free of alcohol and the anxiety and depression that dominated my existence before I found long-term recovery. Prior to finding recovery, I was utterly unaware of the legal profession\'s profound well-being problem. Roughly 20% of lawyers suffer from depression compared to 6% of American adults. 23% of attorneys suffer from anxiety disorders, compared to 3% of the adult population. Five percent of the population is stressed afflicted, while 23% of attorneys are stress disordered. The law is an emotionally difficult profession that largely ignores the importance of cultivating healthy behavioral paradigms. Instead, we turn to drink. 84% of attorneys drink regularly, compared to 50% of other adults. Nearly one in five lawyers suffer from alcohol use disorder; twice the rate of the general population. I have worked with hundreds of lawyers in recovery since becoming sober. There is a path out of active use addiction, and ways to dramatically reduce anxiety, stress, and depression. The pilots, physicians, and nurses have proven it, and we have adopted their model for the legal profession. If you are a lawyer or other professional suffering from addiction or know a colleague who needs help, please contact us at h•••@vivonhealth.com. We have a wonderful team dedicated to helping others find freedom from drug and alcohol addiction.