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What it takes to be an Addiction Professional

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

The addiction field is a complicated topic.

There are many types of addictions ranging from substances to behaviors. An addiction professional should have a broad range of understanding the many models and theories of addiction as well as physical, psychological and social problems related to using substances or engaging in dangerous, addictive behaviors.

This means that an addiction professional should be competent in research and theory both scientific and theoretical. In addition, an addiction professional needs to understand the criteria and methods involved in evaluations of models and theories and how to appropriately apply it to their practice. Because the science and research is constantly evolving it’s equally important for an addiction professional to stay up to date with these findings and know where to access the literature from multiple disciplines.

Addiction professionals should always be open to information that challenges their existing and personally held views. It’s important for addiction professionals to appreciate the complex nature of addiction while valuing many different forms of concepts and theories. An addiction professional should be a critical thinker and be able to form their practice around the knowledge they are receiving on an ongoing basis.

What does addiction specialist do?

An addiction specialist works with individuals and assist them in overcoming substance or behavioral addictions. This work can also include addiction prevention and typically supports addiction treatment across various subjects or treatment methods.

The disease of addiction means that addiction specialists need to have a broad set of skills and competencies in order to help those around them. Sometimes these skills will be used in public health environments but other times they can also be done in private environments.

Addiction specialists should work in not only treating the addiction side or “using” side but also work on mental health and behavioral health as well. This means that the specialist must be well versed in many methods.

What skills do you need to be an addictions Counsellor?

Lots of skills are neccessary to be a good addictions counsellor. Some of those skills include:

  • active listening
  • critical thinking
  • interest in research
  • strong emotional intelligence (EQ)
  • bias for helping
  • and many more!

Typically addictions counsellors will have completed some level of education and likely a combination of education plus supervised work experience. Most people working professionally in addiction have completed post-graduate education as well although not all states require this. There are national-level addiction certification programs available but be careful because again not all states recognise these certifications.

Do you need to be in recovery to be an effective counselor?

This is a common misconception and can actually be quite harmful for both the counselor and person receiving treatment. Being in recovery does not provide an additional benefit or insight into the mechanics of addiction and recovery. While a counselor could theoretically transfer their learnings to the person receiving treatment, it will likely be very much influenced by their experience.

If you are seeking addiction treatment then we recommend not specifically looking for addiction counselors who are previously or currently in recovery as a primary marker for success. Instead, look for a qualified professional that can provide examples of their previous work or success rates. 

Our program, The Sobriety Success Method, is battle-tested with over 6,000 students worldwide having gone through it to date. We’re extremely proud and recommend checking it out today!

Addiction resources for professionals:

  • NAADAC represents the interests of 100,000 addiction professionals across the U.S. (naadac.org)
  • International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (iitap.com)

Stages of Addiction and Recovery

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Did you know that people who suffer from addiction go through stages of addiction recovery?

While not everybody has the same experience, most people hit these same stages in this order. Depending on the stage of addiction recovery that someone is in, however, they could move backwards or forwards from stage 3 onwards.

Stages of addiction recovery

Here are the stages of addiction and recovery:

Stage 1: Initiation

This is the “I’m curious” stage. This stage typically happens as a child or teen and starts with that wonder and curiosity rather than the icky and gross we were taught in drug education. This could also be referred to as an action stage.

Stage 2: Experimentation

In the experimentation stage, a person will do drugs or drink alcohol to explore the effects and will not crave or want more once the drug or alcohol wears off. They are simply experimenting.

Stage 3: Regular Use

During this stage, a person starts to get on a pattern. Maybe it’s every Friday and Saturday night but generally, there are no negative consequences and the use is still light and fun. People often refer to this as a maintenance stage.

Stage 4: Problem or Risky Use

Now this is the stage where red flags start to surface. The behavior turns risky and there are consequences and problems after each use. For example, a person at a college party blacks out or a person purchases drugs from someone they do not know. It’s problematic and risky.

Stage 5: Dependence

This is a problem stage. This is where a person is feeling psychologically or physically dependent on a drug or alcohol. For example, a person who feels like they can’t work or get through their classes without using a substance. During this stage, a person is likely to keep on using, every single day to avoid some sort of withdrawal.

Stage 6: Substance Use Disorder

This is an actual mental health disorder that can be diagnosed by a mental health professional. When someone is diagnosed with a Substance Use Disorder, it means that the drugs and/or alcohol has had and is having a serious effect on their life, to the point where they need some sort of treatment or intervention in order to obtain a full recovery.

Stage 7: Treatment

This is the final stage in the stages of addiction . When a person enters this stage they are, hopefully, on board with wanting to make changes to their life and gain sobriety. Of course there is a process of recovery to go through and so again, each person is different in how they choose to recover. Treatment options vary and while people often think that treatment centers or 12-step meetings are the only way to deal with their substance of choice, Live Rehab offers many more options. Because the effects of addiction are so wide and vast, it is important to tackle all areas of life. This can include areas such as nutrition or fitness and even family matters as well.  

When Your Partner Drinks – And You’re Trying to Stop

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It’s Extremely Difficult to get Sober if Your Partner doesn’t Give it Up Too

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If you have a partner that drinks or is not willing to give up alcohol when they are around you, getting sober will be very hard.  It is so important, and I mean so critically important, that your partner is there to support  you and does not drink around you, or gives it up entirely. If they are not willing to, I am here to tell you that you will need to have the strongest will power or you may need to take a break for a few months until you can stabilize.

Why Communication is Important

I want you to be open with your partner.  It’s important to have strong communication skills so your partner knows exactly how hard this is going to be for you and having their support can mean the difference of obtaining full sobriety or not.  Most people who do not have supportive spouses fail.  That’s not to say it’s impossible but if you have a supportive partner, it makes things much easier. 

Does Your Partner Have a Problem Too?

One thing you are going to want to evaluate is whether or not your partner has a problem too.  If they don’t have a problem then not drinking will be easy for them. They’ll be able to not drink around you or give it up completely.  If they have a problem, it might not be that easy for them and then perhaps, you should try and get sober together.  If they’re not ready to get sober but you are, don’t give up on yourself.  Take a break, get some distance, and when you are strong and able, you can go back to help them.  

Your Action Item

Is your partner on board or not?  If not, are you ready to take a break – get some distance for a few months?  Take some time to figure this out. Once you’ve made a decision, communicate this with your partner.  To eliminate conflict, it’s important for them to understand that it’s about you and when it comes to alcoholism, the best thing you can do is help yourself first.  In the end, you’ll come out stronger.

Why Smoking is so Dangerous

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Being Honest with Yourself

Everyone knows that smoking is dangerous.  This is not 1952 and unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve certainly seen the statistics or have been taught. However, I challenge you to be honest and true to yourself.  

When you were taught about the dangers of smoking, you were likely not smoking then so the truth didn’t mean much to you.  It wasn’t enough to scare you away from starting right?  

The brain works in mysterious ways.  When studies and statistics pop up and challenge bad behavior, if this is behavior we enjoy, the brain will tune it out.  I’ll give you an example.  Some people love sugar.  They are so addicted to sugar that nothing anybody says will make them stop eating sugar.  They are the ones who will justify eating sugar and they will not hear the studies and statistics about the dangers.  They will say things like, “Oh, I’ve had a hard week, I deserve this chocolate cake.”  Or, “This type of sugar isn’t as bad so I don’t have to worry.”  You can substitute that addiction with anything and you will hear the same stories over again.  Think about alcohol, drugs, porn, food, etc.

You need to be completely aware and hear the facts.  Smoking is dangerous and if you continue to smoke you are more likely than not to end up with a chronic disease, condition, or death.  Forget anecdotal evidence.  I do not care if your granddad lived to 95 and smoke 5 packs per day.  Statistically speaking, that is not going to happen to you.  

Health Dangers of Smoking

If you continue to smoke you are likely to get (or may have already:)

  • Lung Cancer and other cancers
  • Heart disease
  • Asthma
  • COPD
  • Chronic bronchitis
  • Emphysema
  • Ulcers
  • Leg cramps
  • Stroke
  • Death

You know the statistics so do not think you are special or super human.  Do not think that you can do other things to combat the likeliness of a terrible thing happening to you.  I had a client tell me that he eats healthy and works out and believed that because he does those things, smoking is less dangerous.  That’s wrong.  While those things help the human body and will help you in quitting smoking it does not combat the dangers of smoking.  

Carbon Monoxide Dangers

You have heard of carbon monoxide right?  You probably know not to use a wood burning stove in your home or leave your car running in the garage.  But did you know that smokers have a high amount of carbon monoxide in their blood?  

The reason this is scary is because it’s not usually enough to kill you but it’s enough to make you sick.  You may think you’re feeling unwell because of smoke in your lungs or perhaps something else but if you are having any of the following symptoms, chances are, it’s from carbon monoxide:

  • Increased heart rate
  • Head aches
  • Inability to tolerate exercise

The carbon monoxide in your body reduces the amount of oxygen your cells receive.  Without the proper oxygen you are on the road to getting heart disease.  Also, second hand smoke causes carbon monoxide levels to rise significantly so think about those around you too.

Reflecting on your Own Health

I want you to reflect on your own health.  We’re not keeping score here but just jot down or think about this in your head.  Do you have any of these problems?

  • Coughing
  • Bad breath
  • Trouble breathing
  • Stamina
  • Last time you were checked for lung cancer?
  • Blood pressure
  • Headaches
  • Gum problems
  • Dental problems
  • Wrinkles

Here’s another statistic.  Smokers get sick more often.  How much time have you missed from work?  Be honest,  about your sickness.  While you may not think your flu,  bronchitis, headache, etc. was caused from smoking, you don’t know that it wasn’t either.  

This blog post is not to frighten you or try to scare you out of smoking.  This post is here to challenge you to be true to yourself and to reflect on the fact that you are in danger.  

If you take my course on Udemy you can be nicotine free forever.  This course comes with a downloadable workbook that will walk you through each step.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS TO THE COURSE

The Health Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol

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Alcoholism is a slow and steady disease that deteriorates the body.  You don’t feel the health problems right away and that’s why most people continue to drink and drink and drink until one day, there’s a problem. I want you think of alcohol as a drug because that’s exactly what it is.  The reason most people don’t think of it as a drug is because it’s legal and most adults drink alcohol.  But, if you put a substance into your body and it alters your consciousness somehow, that’s a drug right?  What if, alcohol was illegal but heroin was legal?  

Your Drug of Choice

If you’ve ever had a chemical dependency assessment you know that the main question you are asked is, ‘what is your drug of choice?’  Now everyone has a personal preference.  Some people like downers, some people like uppers, and some people don’t like either.  When you think of uppers you think of cocaine or methamphetamine.  When you think of downers you may think of opiates or marijuana.  Alcohol is most definitely a downer as it is a suppressant.  Just because your drug of choice is alcohol doesn’t mean that you are any better or worse than someone using heroin or cocaine.  The substance goes into your body, you feel good and high and then you come down and have a hangover.  All drugs are like this.  If there was a drug out that didn’t cause a hangover or any adverse effects then everyone would be all over that but, it doesn’t exist.  

How Hard is Alcohol on the Body?

Now that we’ve settled the fact that alcohol is a drug let’s talk about how alcohol is just as hard, if not harder on your body than all the other drugs out there.  It’s bad for your liver, your heart, and especially your brain.  

You can become physically dependent on alcohol and it’s one of the only drugs out there that you can actually die from withdrawal (benzos are the other ones.)  It seems wild that you can’t die from a heroin withdrawal but you can die from an alcohol withdrawal and alcohol is legal!

What Happens When You Stop Drinking?

When you stop drinking alcohol a lot of things happen to your body.  First, you must get through the initial withdrawal without dying and that takes time.  Some people even need to be medically monitored.  But once you stop drinking alcohol you will notice that you’ll be able to sleep better.  You won’t wake up in the middle of the night as often having to urinate or feeling dehydrated.  

When you stop drinking alcohol you may notice less stomach issues as alcohol can be very hard on your stomach lining.  You’ll have less heart burn and such.  

You’ll also notice you’ll be more clear headed and have less brain fog.  You’ll get less headaches and your blood pressure will start to lower. Your body is going to start repairing itself on the inside too.  Your liver will start to repair itself and your blood cells will become smaller which in turn will transport more oxygen to your heart.  You’ll get more energy.  

Remember, alcohol is basically empty calories.  If you substitute water you will start to feel so much better within only a few weeks.  

Isn’t Alcohol Healthy Though?

Another thing to be aware of is you will certainly come across articles where science has shown that drinking alcohol is healthy.  Do not fall for that.  The reason these articles go viral is because most of society is looking for a way to validate their drinking.  I am not in any way saying the science is wrong.  I am saying that there are other things you can do that will equally give you the same benefits.  For example, you can drink grape juice to give you the wine benefits.  But overall, if you stop drinking your body will be in much better shape then it ever has been.  Alcohol may give some health benefits but drinking too much has the opposite effect and is very detrimental.  Anybody can do a study on the health benefits of anything.  So just keep that in mind when you see those articles. Your healthy lifestyle will outweigh those ‘so cal health benefits.  

Do Not Trade One Bad Habit for Another

I can’t stress this part enough though.  Do not trade one bad habit for another.  When you decide to stop drinking alcohol, I highly recommend thinking about this as a lifestyle change too.  You won’t feel better if you trade alcohol for soda or if you pick up a junk food habit.  You need to have a healthy diet and keep your body moving. If you don’t already have an exercise plan in place, I recommend doing so.  You can join a gym, class or just start walking.  Whatever you’re doing now, try to add a little more.  If you don’t currently exercise, you must start doing so.  

Stop Smoking Too!

And one last thing, if you smoke cigarettes, I recommend quitting smoking at the same time.  You will not feel better or feel completely free until you rid yourself from all of your addictions. 

We’ve helped hundreds of people get sober from home.

Our students are:

– Happy
– Sober
– Clear Headed
– Free from the chains of addiction
– Motivated
– Energetic

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