Legal Consulting

Forced into AA or treatment against your will?

Stanton offers a consulting service for individuals forced by courts, employers, or licensing bodies to attend AA or similar 12-step therapy, or for those who feel they have been misdiagnosed.

Here’s what Stanton can do for you:

Summarize the law concerning forced AA/12-step attendance.
Analyze any diagnoses that have been completed of your alcohol problems.
Assist you in finding unbiased clinicians to assess your drinking/diagnose your problems.
Write letters to appropriate parties (courts, employers, boards et al.) summarizing your case for alternative treatment, if you need treatment.
Strategize about contesting your coerced treatment.
Provide information for your attorney to combat your coerced treatment.

Stanton is a practicing attorney. If you believe that you have been the victim of psychological abuse or improper treatment by a mental health professional or a treatment center that has resulted in significant damage he may be able to help you or refer you to a cooperating lawyer in your area who specializes in these kinds of malpractice matters.

A one session consult is $250. Longer coaching arrangements involve reduced hourly fees.

Satisfied Clients

A government employee's previous arrest record for DWI became an issue more than 10 years after the events. I wrote — in part — the following on Mr. A's behalf:

Mr. A had five alcohol-related arrests, concluding with a DWI arrest in February 1985.
Mr. A attended AA both before his last arrest and for about two years after (until 1987).
Since 1987, Mr. A has resumed drinking. Mr. A reports exclusively moderate drinking during this time. He does not drink and drive, and no alcohol-related traffic incidents or arrest were reported for this period.
Dr. G's testing showed that: "Mr. A does not meet the criterion for heavy social drinking, nor does he meet the criteria for early stage alcoholism."
Dr. G concluded from the data that Mr. A had used alcohol "habitually to excess" but that "he cannot currently be diagnosed as alcohol dependent or suffering from alcohol abuse" within the meaning of 120 CFR 710.8(j)" and that he found no evidence "that Mr. A has an illness or mental condition. . . [leading to] a significant defect in his judgment or reliability within the meaning of 10 CFR 710.8(h)."
However, Dr. G. concluded "I am swayed to state that my medical opinion is that there is no adequate evidence of rehabilitation or reformation and other behavioral change within the meaning of 10 CFR 710.7(c)," and recommended that Mr. A abstain from alcohol and enter a treatment program.

I analyzed the case and the Doctor's strange — but typical — analysis to allow Mr. A to successfully resist the ex-post-facto diagnosis and recommendations.

Mr. A wrote me following this case:

"The contract shrink wanted to take my case to the next level, which is called administrative review. As I said, I got caught up in a system where contractors, whose main goal is to get more contract dollars, and who would get paid for every case they get referred to them, for every step of the process, had a financial interest to keep the case going. I spoke to the head of the office and submitted your letter to him. Your letter did the trick."

More satisfied customers:

You coaching service is a godsend! I was trapped in mandatory counseling. you did everything you described in your "service notice" for me... counseled me on my rights, evaluated my treatment, wrote letters for me... found an alternative treatment for me... Most importantly, you spoke up for me and made people (the authorities) pay attention that I had treatment choices other then the "routine" AA etc...

I made a big stink ... at least in my local community... To this day, I think they released me only not to have me influence others.

Dear Mr. Peele:

I e-mailed you concerning my long standing effort to have my driving privileges restored. This is to inform you that I have finally accomplished my goal. As of last week the Ill.Secretary of State’s office, after five formal hearings, has granted my request for driving relief. I'll be issued a restricted driving permit for work and if I complete the required probationary period successfully I may petition for restoration of full driving privileges sometime next summer. The impact this will have on my life is huge, personally and financially. I would like to thank you for your assistance and advice. Your books have been of great help to my ongoing recovery and well being. It never became necessary to retain an attorney and spend thousands of dollars to expedite the process.

The typical story of the AA dragnet

How a woman caught having wine with dinner is coerced to stop drinking, join AA, and turn her life over to the therapeutic state.

What I Have Learned Working as a Pool Attorney in the Public Defender's Office in Morris County, New Jersey

I have been working as a pool attorney in the public defender's office, and I have some first-hand experience now with how the local court system (this is Morris County Superior Court and the Morris County Prosecutor's Office) deals with drug users/crimes.