Law School and Drinking

In light of recent converastions taking place on this blog concerning drinking (and believe me, I am flattered that people care enough to notice when I update and leave their comments on posts) I thought I would weigh in on the subject. I don't know if suprises non-law students that plenty of drinking goes on at lawschool. From my other life experiences, alchohol doesn't appear to be any less, or greater, of a social lubricant amoung those who aspire toward professional careers of the mind than it was amoung the cooks, stagehands, truck-drivers, and law-mowers I have worked with in the past. Alchohol is a universally appreciated drug. In fact, there have been several books published in the last couple of years that have tried to undersatnd the high level of drug use and alchohol abuse in the legal profession, and the general, overly simplified, explaination seems to be that the pressure, compitition, and discretionary wealth are perfect soil to plant a socially acceptable addiction (and being a lawyer or doctor are for many familys the pinacle of socially acceptable). For me the most shocking realization, and in that matter difference from drinking in other professions I have observed, is that drinking for lawyers is seen as less of an escape from the difficulties of your work and life, but as an acceptable and in many ways encouraged behavior. The most pathetic example of this is when you see the most like professor of our section, who is mostly liked by ladder climbing egotistical emulators of the idea of intellectual sucess and who, despite his genuine concern for helping students, basks in the sunlight of their pathetic praise, when you see him joking around with students about how drunk they got on the Friday night before a review session as if it was a right of passage on one's succesful path toward partner. (if that is the only fun allowed an associate outside of his 80 hour work week, I have some serious doubts about life at a law firm).

Let me say, I have problem no with drinking per se. And I myself have not been immune from binge drinking, although I am making an effort to maintain as many brain cells as I have left in order to learn the law as well as loose the beer belly that was beginning hanging over my belt like a bowling ball in a baseball mit. My major gripe at this moment is that it is difficult to meet other law students for activities besides drinking. I understand we are all busy with studying, g/f's, b/f's, working out, jobs, etc, but there must be social life that is somewhere between a study group and a drinking game. If it is out there, let me know. E-mail your thoughts to hiltops@gmail.com and I will compile them into a later post.