Episode 491 — Breaking the Stigma of Addiction in Legal with Brian Cuban
The same instincts that make a great lawyer can be the exact thing keeping them from asking for help.
In this encore episode of The Game Changing Attorney Podcast, Michael Mogill sits down with Brian Cuban, an attorney, author, and long-term recovery advocate, for a raw account of the depression, eating disorder, and addiction that nearly ended his life, and the moment he finally chose to fight for it. Brian pulls back the curtain on what drives so many lawyers toward substance abuse in silence, and why the legal profession’s culture of strength makes it one of the hardest places to ask for help. This is a candid look at what recovery actually requires, and what it means to build a profession where struggling colleagues don’t have to hide.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Why lawyers face a higher risk of addiction, and why the profession makes it so hard to admit it
- How to spot the early warning signs before they become a rock-bottom moment
- What it takes to build a compassionate community that helps colleagues before they have to hit bottom
Brian walked back from the edge. His story is here for anyone who needs to know it’s possible.
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Show Notes:
No amount of love from the people around you can do the work of choosing recovery for you. “You can’t love somebody enough to make them recover. You can’t. You have to want it.”
Waiting to hit bottom was never supposed to be the plan. “I hate rock bottom because the goal should be to recover at the highest possible point.”
Reporting a colleague who’s struggling isn’t a betrayal. It’s protection. “It is okay to call. You’re not ratting anyone out. You are doing that person a favor.”
The instinct that makes a great trial lawyer works against you when it comes to your own life. “Vulnerability is a linchpin of recovery. You have to allow yourselves to be vulnerable.”
For Brian, leadership was never just about winning cases. “Being a leader means doing what you have to do to perform your best. Being a leader means being part of a compassionate community and not looking the other way when our colleagues are struggling.”
Connect with Michael
- Text directly at 404-531-7691
