8.7% of judges admit to using cocaine and hashish to cope with work-related stress, and 11.4% resort to alcoholic beverages. The results are contained in a study published in the journal Public Ministry and in which, according to Público, 690 judges, prosecutors and lawyers took part.
Of the 117 judges interviewed, 30 admitted to using drugs and 39 to using alcohol. The percentage of judges who admitted to using illegal drugs was significantly higher than that of lawyers, which was 0.7%, while it was 0% of prosecutors. As for alcoholic beverages, 3.9% of lawyers admitted to drinking them, while among prosecutors this figure drops to 1.5%.
The biggest stress for judges may be the enormous impact their decisions have on people’s lives and the pressure to dismiss cases, shows research by Mauro Paulino, Mariana Moniz, Octavio Moura and Mario Simões, all of whom are related to psychology. A third of respondents also admitted to using anxiolytics and antidepressants.