Substance Abuse

A substance abuse counselor works with people who have developed a problem with drugs or alcohol. Certain patients arrive voluntarily; others are forced to be there by law enforcement or by family.

Either way, the substance abuse counselor initially works to get someone off of narcotics or to quit drinking alcohol. If they can achieve this, the next step is to keep that person from relapsing and using again.

Due to the emotional nature of the job, an aptitude test is often required to measure potential adaptation skills. Different situations require the counselors to react in a variety of ways in order to be successful.

Below are three primary duties that substance abuse counselors carry out:

1. Assessment
When a patient first arrives, the counselor must collect information regarding specific substances used and frequency of abuse. The counselor must initially explain the importance of being open and honest about this.

Once the information is collected, the counselor must then determine what plan is best suited for that particular person. Someone with severe addiction may need time in an actual hospital to detox. Others may only require outpatient services to detox from their chosen substance.

2. Conduct Treatment Sessions
Individuals or groups of people will meet with the substance abuse counselor to discuss their problem. Typically this first involves helping someone discover what initially triggered his or her substance abuse problem. For example, a traumatic event in their childhood or maybe stress in the workplace drove them to drugs or excessive alcohol use.

Potentially the patient's family or others important in their lives may attend as well. During the treatment session, the counselor can help both sides heal through reasoning and understanding of the addiction.

3. Education
A counselor can educate patients on several aspects of substance abuse. Teaching the dangers and consequences of abuse can help encourage people to quit. This includes such things as prison time, liver damage or family alienation.

Helping patients learn coping methods during times of relapse temptation is another valuable tool. There is a good chance the patient was never taught coping skills as a child or young adult and turned to drugs or alcohol to compensate.