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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)

When You Are A High Functioning Alcoholic

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High functioning alcoholics are hard to spot. They are the ones who have a job or career, take care of their outward appearances and from the outside, you would never know.

The psychological impacts of being a high functioning alcoholic

If you are a high functioning alcoholic you are hurting inside. You are torn about what to do. You know you can keep it together as long as you are drinking and the thought of stopping terrifies you. You know that if you stop you will feel depressed, experience physical withdraws and may act in a way that you will regret.

More often than not, high functioning alcoholics suffer from an undiagnosed mental health disorder such as depression or anxiety. Alcohol masks these symptoms and may be a way to cope. If you are a high functioning alcoholic I would reccommend talking to a mental health provider as soon as possible.

High functioning alcoholics and family

Often times, high functioning alcoholics are supported by their immediate family such as a spouse or a live in parent because high functioning alcoholics are easier to deal with when they are drinking. If you are a high functioning alcoholic, your family is likely to make sure your alcohol supply is always where it needs to be because dealing with a sober you or dealing with withdrawals causes drama. I would recommend taking a look and ask yourself why you think those closest to you are making sure you are taken care of. Do you think it’s fair for them to have to walk on egg shells?

High functioning alcoholics and finances

Being an alcoholic is costly. As tolerance builds the bank account starts to drain. High functioning alcoholics will always make sure their immediate financial needs are met (housing, etc.) to ensure that there are no embarrassing situations. But on the inside, debt is probably occurring and things like vacations and extras are put to the side. If you are a high functioning alcoholic, look at what you wish you could afford. Try to gradually taper off your alcoholic drinks and reward yourself by setting the money you saved aside. Use that money to reward yourself after you hit a certain goal. For example, instead of purchasing two bottles of wine tonight, try purchasing only one and put the extra money into a piggy bank of sorts. Once you reach your personal goal (example; $100.00) then reward yourself. Buy some new clothes or take your kids to a movie.

Why You Don’t Have to Hit Rock Bottom to Get Help

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When you watch TV shows or talk shows about addiction, you will always see someone who is worse off than you. You know the age old saying about hitting rock bottom – basically implying that people don’t need professional help until they have lost everything in their life? That sort of mentality is dangerous. It’s dangerous because there are millions of people who know they are headed down a dangerous path but because of media and stigma, they don’t believe it’s bad enough to warrant help.

These are the people who have careers, families, friends, and an active social life. These are people who are really good at masking their daily struggles and can pull off hangovers and bad decisions.

If this is you, I want you to stop and think for a moment. Do you really want to lose everything? Because at some point, you will. Why not tackle your addiction before it gets the best of you, your family, and friends? There’s no shame in just stopping.

We live in an unfortunate world where reaching out for help can jeopardize a lot. While there are so many advocates who are trying to change this, and believe me, they are doing a fantastic job and making so much needed progress, the reality is, it’s still there. Most people don’t have the luxury of just taking 3 months off from work without losing their stride in their career, or having family or friends doubt or underestimate them.

It is a lot easier to obtain sobriety and stay sober when your answer to not drinking or doing is drugs is that you just don’t rather than stating you had a problem, you lost everything, and you have to work your butt off to get it all back.

Getting sober from home certainly does have some disadvantages but overall, it’s a great alternative for those who just can’t pick up and leave everything behind for 3 months. Or perhaps, not need to! There is not harm in trying this approach first.

3 Reasons to Get Sober from Home

How Much Rehab Do I Need?

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I worked for many years in various social services/counseling roles and as an addiction counselor I felt myself questioning so many things about a traditional treatment program.  

Just like many other things in life, addiction falls on a spectrum and there is no one-size-fits-all answer, nor should there be, yet, you will find the same formula in almost every single rehab facility.  A person or their family is desperate to get better, they believe a rehab facility is the answer, the person is assessed and there are two options from there: in-patient or out-patient (no treatment is the third option but you will rarely see that – that’s another post altogether.)

All in-patient and all out-patient approaches are the same.  They all have groups, individual counseling, etc. etc. But, what if you need more or less than that?  What about those who may not need to give up everything (their job, income, family, friends, pets, etc.) for 90 days or those who haven’t even scratched the surface after 90 days but are let loose in 3 months?

It’s important when looking to get sober to understand where you may fall on the spectrum.  Some people are turned off when they learn that they have to go away for 3 months which may make them think their problem isn’t big enough yet.  

I encourage you to look at all of your options and figure out if there are ways you can tweak or utilize the resources that are important to you.  It is possible to obtain sobriety while keeping the important things in your life.  

When People in your Home are Actively Using Drugs

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Keeping your environment recovery focused can be challenging especially if you do not live alone and the people in your home are not supportive. We talked earlier this week about ways to keep your environment recovery focused. Today, I’d like to dig a little deeper and talk about how to overcome a challenge you may face with this seemingly simple task.

If you live with people who are actively using substances while you are trying to stay sober this may apply to you. First, we all know that it is unrealistic to ask other people to stop using drugs or alcohol especially if they’re not the ones who are trying to do better. If you can learn how to stay sober when everyone around you is rubbing it in your face then you are setting yourself up for success.

 

Think about it this way. Many people escape to a 90 day treatment program, or create a space where no one is using around them. While that may be necessary to get started, it does not prepare anyone for how to cope or manage in the real world. If you’re starting off in this environment then it’s as if you have skipped the first step so to speak.

No doubt about it, this type of situation will be harder, especially in the beginning, but as you progress you will start to notice things about the world in which you used to be part of that will surprise, annoy, or agitate you.

For example, if your roommates stay up night using drugs and you’ve managed to get a good night’s sleep, you will watch them suffer with a hangover or withdrawal and be able to appreciate that you no longer have to deal with that. Or, you will watch them crave and realize how their behavior is really inappropriate during this time. You will have money to spend on nicer things while your roommates may be broke.

I’m here to tell you that this type of environment, while not ideal, is not a deal breaker. Don’t use this as an excuse to not gain sobriety but think of it as a challenge and once you’ve conquered it, you will be much more prepared than most.

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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