Not only was Cuban addicted to drugs and alcohol until 2007, he also used to be both anorexic and bulimic. He says he is the only male lawyer he knows of who publicly admits to once suffering from an eating disorder. Today, his days practicing law are in the past as he travels the country advocating for addiction recovery and positive body image at colleges, law schools, bar association meetings and other groups.

Cuban’s Journey

As a child, Cuban aspired to become a policeman--being a lawyer never entered his mind. However, while waiting to speak with his school advisor during his junior year at Penn State University, he overheard some students chatting about taking the LSAT. He had never thought of becoming a lawyer, but the notion of having three more years to party and secrete himself from the world sounded ideal.

So, following graduation, he applied to and was accepted into the law school at the University of Pittsburgh, and he went. “I didn’t go to law school to change the world. I went to hide for three more years,” he says.

Cuban was adept at hiding his eating disorder and substance use issues early on. He was snorting cocaine in his law office, getting drunk often and sleeping very little. He had also been battling the eating disorder bulimia since 1979. These activities were taking their toll on him physically and mentally, and he eventually lost all his clients.

But that wasn’t his rock bottom. In fact, Cuban says he doesn’t even believe in that phrase. “Rock bottom is relative. I prefer to use the term ‘recovery tipping point,’” he says. Three failed marriages weren’t enough to sway him, either. Cuban eventually reached the point where he saw no hope of a future and became suicidal. He was taken to a psychiatric facility by his two brothers. However, he was still not ready for recovery.

“Within a few weeks, I was back to my old habits,” he says. Throughout his life, drugs and food were not Cuban’s only constants. He also had his family. “My father is a middle of three boys, and so am I. He stressed that no matter what, you have your brothers,” he recalls. In fact, the four men live within walking distance of one another near downtown Dallas, and Cuban’s father even lives right across the street from him. And it was that undeniable bond with his family that eventually led Cuban to his recovery tipping point.

“The thought of not having my family was too much to bear,” he says. What changed everything was meeting Amanda in 2006. Unaware of his demons, she moved in soon after. In April 2007, she went away for a weekend and Cuban went on an extended binge that resulted in a blackout. When she returned and discovered what had happened, the gauntlet was laid. It was her or the addictions.

“If I didn’t take steps to recovery, I’d lose it all,” Cuban says. So, on April 8, 2007, Cuban began 12-step recovery and has been in long term recovery since then. The couple married in 2016.

Self-Awareness is Key

As he continued to learn more about himself and his addictions, Cuban realized law was not the profession for him. First, he didn’t go to law school with any real intent to practice law and he didn’t love the work. Second, he took the Myers-Briggs, a personality test and the results were eye-opening. Cuban learned he was more of a “feeler” than a “thinker.” While “feelers” can be fantastic lawyers, Cuban believes them to be in the minority, with “thinkers” dominating the profession.

In 2011, Cuban decided to share his experiences. His first book, “Shattered Image: My Triumph Over Body Dysmorphic Disorder,” is a best-seller published in 2013 that chronicles his first-hand experiences living with and recovering from clinical depression, eating disorders, drug addictions and Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

His second book, which Cuban describes as 75% memoir and the rest prescriptive, will be released this May. The work chronicles not only Cuban’s experiences with addiction and seeking help, but also advice to struggling lawyers and law students from attorneys and experts.

The Sobering Role Law Schools Should Play

“Problem drinking and drug using law students can become alcoholic and addicted lawyers,” according to Cuban. While he realizes law schools aren’t treatment centers for addictive personalities, Cuban challenges them to accept their role in creating competent attorneys.

By his definition, that means lawyers should not only be knowledgeable enough to represent their clients properly, but also healthy enough mentally to do so. He cites a ground-breaking study released last fall as evidence that law students are reluctant to seek help for substance abuse and mental health concerns.

In the spring of 2014, 15 law schools across the United States participated in the Survey of Law Student Well-Being. Those findings were then published in Journal of Legal Education in its Autumn 2016 issue. He laments the fact that, in his experience, law students are often unaware that Lawyer Assistance Programs that help attorneys deal with their addictions are also open to them.

“We have the ability to provide help and guidance to these students. Why not use those tools and why not make it part of the law school culture?” Cuban poses. “Law schools can’t ignore mental health. They need to address the reality that there is a way to treat these addictions and help law students become competent lawyers.”

Tami Kamin Meyer is an Ohio attorney and writer.