I have on more than one occasion encountered lawyers/law students struggling with alcohol or drugs, who want support, but are not ready to venture out into a more public recovery world whether it be counseling, mutual-aid (12-step) etc. They are stigmatized and afraid that to do so will risk someone finding out and jeopardize careers. On more than one occasion, I have heard a lawyer express fear of being recognized by someone on their jury who is also in a 12-step group etc. No amount of discussion dissuades them from that perceived reality.
I have, in these instances, provided resources for online support in the hope that at some point, a jump to a more personal, brick and mortar, form of support will be made.
An online resource that is user friendly, offers complete anonymity and a wide variety of mutual-aid support ranging from 12-step to Smart Recovery, including video meetings, is “In The Rooms“.
To be clear, I do not view this as the ideal mode of support, but it is an option and as anonymous as a person wants it to be. It can be a stepping stone to more brick and mortar modes of recovery.
In The Rooms is an online social network dedicated to the global addiction recovery community for people seeking help or in recovery and their family, friends and allies of recovery worldwide.
They put it as follows:
“We are not trying to replace Face-to-Face fellowship meetings; rather, ITR is a safe and secure place to come and socialize the other 23 hours a day you’re not in a meeting and to connect with other recovering people around the world.
InTheRooms.com transcends the boundaries of all 12 steps and non-12 step fellowships socially, while maintaining the integrity of each by having 40 different fellowship groups represented. ITR currently has the largest AA / Alcoholics Anonymous (208,000+ members), NA / Narcotics Anonymous (155,000+ members) and Alanon (26,000+ members) groups in the world.
For the first time in history, this allows the social interaction between fellowships not found when attending regularly scheduled meetings of any one of these fellowships. We are bringing together members of the global recovery community socially to experience a vast array of tools that can be used to enhance and expand ones recovery experience and social connectedness.”
The site is not only conventional 12-step support. You will be able to find:
Faith-Based meetings
Yoga and meditation meetings
Refuge Recovery, which is Buddhist Recovery
Meetings for agnostics in both AA and NA
Support for family members
Meeting for grief and codependency
Meeting for people suffering from chronic pain
Meetings for people on MAT (Medically Assisted Treatment)
Closed specialty meetings for men and women
Non-12 step meeting for Sex Addiction
Ron Tannebaum, one of the founders says:
“A user will never see their name on any search engine as a member. They can also stay as anonymous as they choose.”
You can view a short documentary about the site here.
Just one more resource to begin your recovery. One less barrier.
Brian Cuban (@bcuban) is The Addicted Lawyer. Brian is the author of the Amazon best-selling book, The Addicted Lawyer: Tales Of The Bar, Booze, Blow & Redemption (affiliate link). A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, he somehow made it through as an alcoholic then added cocaine to his résumé as a practicing attorney. He went into recovery April 8, 2007. He left the practice of law and now writes and speaks on recovery topics, not only for the legal profession, but on recovery in general. He can be reached at brian@addictedlawyer.com.