9/11 FALLOUT - DRUG WOES FOR WHITE-COLLAR SECTOR

Emil Jalonen once had a successful job as a staff lawyer specializing in
labor issues. He also had a secret.

Jalonen was an alcoholic.

He couldn't stop. Most days, he needed a drink just to feel normal, but it
was taking a physical and mental toll. Late at night, Jalonen would jerk
awake, his heart pounding as he detoxified in his sleep.

"I wouldn't be alive if I hadn't gone into recovery," says Jalonen, 51, in
St. Paul. He has been sober since 1991. He took his first drink at age 16,
he says, and drank through law school. "Lawyers suffer from chemical abuse
at a higher level than the general population. There's the stress, the long
hours, the intensity."

White-collar addiction is a problem that plagues professional business ranks
and costs companies billions of dollars a year in lost productivity. It's an
issue of growing concern for employers, because addiction problems are
mounting amid a tumultuous economy, heightened workloads and angst about
Sept. 11.

Twenty-three states, five cities and Washington, D.C., have seen a spike in
demand for alcohol and drug treatment since Sept. 11, according to an April
survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia
University. That's an increase over the number of states that saw more
demand for treatment in late November and early December.

"We've had the economy, 9/11, the bubble bursting in the stock market.
People are under stress and will try to cope," says Richard Chaifetz, CEO of
Chicago-based employee-assistance provider ComPsych. "When this happens, you
see a precipitous increase in substance use. It's a big issue for
employers."

Businesses are paying attention:

* Companies are offering management advice on addictions to managers. Case
in point: Managers at Ernst & Young can call a toll-free number to speak
with counselors who provide assistance on handling a drug- or
alcohol-abusing employee. About 4% of the company's overall
employee-assistance program requests involve some component of chemical
abuse.

* A bill proposed in the New Hampshire Legislature would let victims such
as employers sue drug dealers to recoup losses caused by a drug-abusing
employee. State senators are asking for more study of the issue.

* The issue is enough of a concern that the Research Triangle Institute,
along with other
agencies, is conducting a long-term study of thousands of people. The goal:
to find out what impact Sept. 11 had on alcohol and drug use, as well as
other issues, such as psychiatric symptoms and life changes. Subjects will
be interviewed into 2003.

The Cost Of Addiction

Addictions can ruin eminent careers, bring unwanted attention to employers
and hurt businesses' bottom line. While drug and alcohol dependency is
higher among the unemployed, "drug use among the employed is an important
public health concern," according to a report by the Department of Health
and Human Services.

Studies have shown that alcohol and drug abuse cost the economy an estimated
$246 billion. Nearly 73% of drug users in the USA are employed, which
amounts to 6.7 million full-time employees and 1.6 million part-time
employees. Studies show they have more on-the-job accidents, higher
absenteeism and more health care and workers' compensation claims.

No profession is immune. A year ago, Martha Wittkowski was CEO of the Iowa
chapter of the non-profit Easter Seals. Today, the former executive has
pleaded guilty to stealing from her then-employer; her lawyer, Paul
Rosenberg of Des Moines, says the money was used to feed a gambling
addiction. Sentencing is set for June 24.

* Larry Eisenkramer was a securities dealer in St. Louis who was sent to
prison this year for 27 months for fraud. Prosecutors say he stole more than
$500,000 from investors and said he was addicted to cocaine.

* The Rev. Thomas Crandall, a priest at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in
Milton, Fla., was sentenced this year to about four years in prison. He was
charged with possession and intent to distribute Ecstasy and
methamphetamine. According to legal motions filed by the state, he sold
drugs from the rectory. Crandall told the court he had used drugs to cope
with stress, officials say.

"In addiction, a person has no control. They may have to steal to support a
habit, or falsify reports," says Houston-based employment lawyer Neil Martin
at Gardere Wynne Sewell. "This is a closeted issue. Employers don't know how
to respond, so they just ignore it. Then the firecracker explodes."

Employers' Responses Vary

How employers respond to a manager or professional struggling with addiction
varies. Experts say preferential treatment is given to white-collar workers,
especially those on the top managerial rungs. The reason? Companies are
leery of alarming shareholders and generating unwelcome publicity if an
executive is fired because of drug or alcohol use.

Often, a company will offer treatment to employees who come forward on their
own, and employers generally require a worker to undergo treatment to keep
his job. In some cases, managers caught using or selling in the workplace
are fired. Employers fear that retaining employees who abuse alcohol or
drugs could pose a liability if they injure someone or steal.

Employers have to tread carefully, because they can be sued by employees who
claim their addictions are disabilities. Courts have generally sided with
employers in such cases, lawyers say, but defending a case can be costly. To
avoid aggravating a legally volatile situation, some employers ask third
parties to confront workers suspected of abuse.

"I've even been hired by companies to do it, because managers and CEOs are
terrified," says David Curtis, an employment lawyer in Dallas.

George Lindholm's case sums up how varied employers' responses can be. The
doctor was employed by Pathology Associates in Spokane, Wash., and worked as
the Spokane County medical examiner.

This year, Lindholm was charged with two drug-possession felonies. According
to the Washington Attorney General's Office, Lindholm took prescription
drugs from deceased people on whom he'd performed autopsies, and he had
marijuana in his home.

Concerned about liability, the county wouldn't let the former medical
examiner work in the morgue again. But Pathology Associates did allow him to
return after he'd enrolled in a program for first-time drug offenders.

"Pathology Associates is like a family organization. They're just
wonderful," Lindholm says. "Why throw talent away? I'm concentrating on
making things better for my family. Time will put a different perspective on
things."

Battling The Stigma

Some who have battled addiction say it can be hard to make employers
understand or cope with the reactions from others who learn they're in
recovery.

"There's a higher stigma for women than men," says Eileen Coleman, 44, of
Cocoa, Fla. The program director for a drop-out prevention program got sober
more than 20 years ago and has since gotten two master's degrees. "Women are
still on the cutting edge of a lot of different businesses. It's not OK for
a woman to have a problem."

That stigma can prevent employees who need help from seeking it and cause
professionals to go to great lengths to try to hide their problems -- even
when they're seeking help.

The well-heeled turn to places such as SLS Health. Located in Brewster,
N.Y., the center is a place where doctors, lawyers, politicians and CEOs can
come for inpatient residential treatment. There, they shell out up to $1,000
a day for stays as long as two years. The center accepts only a few health
insurance programs, so many pay out of pocket, because patients and family
want confidentiality. They also provide outpatient help.

Most professional clients they see are high-profile achievers who believe
they should be able to control their addiction. They also can afford
expensive habits.

"They have the discretionary income to buy cocaine. They can withdraw $800
from an ATM without their wife knowing," says Michael Nuccitelli, executive
director. "Part of their job is taking clients out drinking or partying. And
they have a natural tendency to believe they can control their dependency."

Other professionals seeking help turn to such groups as Alcoholics or
Narcotics Anonymous, or the support of peers in their industry. At St.
Paul-based Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, there is a 24-hour crisis line.
Volunteers within the legal profession also provide interventions and hold
meetings for lawyers or judges in the area who are grappling with addiction
and mental health problems. Jalonen, the labor lawyer who entered recovery
for alcohol abuse, is the new executive director.

Says Jalonen: "Lawyers can help other lawyers. They can say 'Cut the crap, I
know what's really going on.' "

Similar volunteer groups exist around the country for dentists,
psychotherapists, doctors and accountants. Employees battling with addiction
say it's a relief to hear other professionals' success stories.

It was more than 20 years ago that former Minneapolis lawyer John Holahan
got help. After showing up drunk in a courtroom, Holahan was convinced by a
judge and prosecutor that he had a problem. Soon after, still toting his
briefcase and dressed in a three-piece suit, Holahan checked into a hospital
for in-patient treatment.

His past hasn't kept him from advancing his career. When he was up for a
judgeship, former Minnesota governor Arne Carlson asked him if there was
anything he'd be embarrassed to see in the newspaper.

"There's nothing I wouldn't want to see on the front page, but I'm a
recovering alcoholic, and I've been sober 17 years," Holahan told him. "If
you want to go back to when I was drinking, it would fill the whole
newspaper." Driving home, he wondered if he'd just lost his chance. He
needn't have worried. Today, Holahan serves as a Hennepin County Court
judge.

"He felt my life experiences would help me in the judiciary, and it has,"
Holahan says. "I still go to (recovery) meetings and help other people. It
seems like the more education you have, the harder it is to realize how
helpless you are. It's important to know you're not alone."