The Who, What, and Why of Substance Abuse Essay

When most people think of substance abuse and addiction counseling they often only think of the 12 step program or alcoholics anonymous. The truth is that an addiction counselor must have a vast knowledge in the

A question that I was curious about asking dealt with how individuals in recovery function as substance abuse counselors. From experience, I have noticed that most substance abuse counselors are themselves in recovery. When I was in treatment, I related much better to

What is substance abuse? According to Dictionary.com, substance abuse is a long-term, pathological use of alcohol or drugs, characterized by daily intoxication, inability to reduce consumption, and impairment in social or occupational functioning. So, what is a Substance Abuse Counselor? This is an individual who provides therapy sessions for a substance abuser who wants to overcome an addiction. Alcohol is not the only substance to which someone could become addicted; other negative elements include tobacco, over-the-counter drugs, prescribed drugs, illegal narcotics or sex.

For this type of clientele, counselors need to be aware of the chances of relapse and how to address it, such as being knowledgeable between the differences of a “lapse” and a “relapse”. Jackson-Cherry and Erford (2018) state that a lapse is one episode of using a drug then becoming abstinence and a relapse is when the client begins to abuse the substance for a period of time following a phase of abstinence. Nevertheless, clients can attend support calls called Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) outside of therapy. Becoming a part of these support groups can influence the client in staying abstinence and form alliances with other members who desire to stay clean from drugs or alcohol (Jackson-Cherry & Erford, 2018).

As a potential therapist who may work with addicts it will be important for me to first understand the importance of the 12-step program. Understanding the power and resources that Alcoholics Anonymous provides for addicts will it will help me to understand my scope of practice when working with an alcoholic. To further add, by working with a client who is actively participating in a meeting it can help with breaking through resistance barriers. The support that a client gains from group members can help foster spiritual growth. Understanding an addict's spiritual beliefs, I can be better accepting of his/her level of autonomy. This level of acceptance can be enhancing through self-disclosure as well. A therapist can use tools of validation and instillation of hope to lessen the client's chances of regressing. In

After the long journey from rehab to keep up with the decision to stay completely over because of the struggle with alcohol programs after rehab are available. A popular program is AA and AA stands for alcohol anonymous. In the program everyone receives a sponsor over some time of being in the program. You get to choose your sponsor and it usually is a person that you admire. Once a sponsor is chosen they start to help and keep who they are sponsoring on track. Group meetings are once a week mostly and they are also there to keep the person on track. Once a duration if time has past a ticket of that about if tie is provided and helps octave people to stay sober. AA meetings are a great way for people to stay sober and make rights decisions.

Detox is only the first step in getting treated for an addiction. Afterward, patients can start the rehab process. During this stage, patients receive counseling for trauma and underlying problems that fuel their addiction. They receive medical and nutritional support as their body recovers.

Continuum of care is very important as a counselor so that we can better educate and stay up on regulations and information so we can share with clients, family and communities. The global criteria for client education states that a counselor is to present relevant alcohol and other drug use/abuse information to the client through formal and/or informal processes. Counselors are also to present information about available alcohol and other drug services and recourses (Global Criteria John

Relapse is very common, and most relapse a few times before overcoming their addiction. Rehab does not always help, but it helps the addicts who want to change their life and begin growing up and becoming a part of a normal life. Support is something that will make an addict think they are not always alone. When they feel alone they will always remember someone is their for them. Being mentally strong is something an addict needs, being strong inside and out will make the addict want to help their friends. Drug addiction is a world wide epidemic, but many people do not see it. Being aware of drug addiction is important. Keep in mind, the people who mean the most could be struggling, do not judge a book by its

A substance use disorder counselor needs to have lots of experience and knowledge when working with clients that tolerance and withdrawal. A counselor needs to have experience on how to deal with a substance disorder client when he/she withdrawals. It depends on the substance abuse they are consuming. For example a client that is under Opiate may have a different reaction from a client that drinks alcohol. According to addition and recovery "Withdrawal can be extremely uncomfortable. The important thing to remember is that opiate withdrawal is not life threatening if you are withdrawing only from opiates and not a combination of drugs." Withdrawal's come with they following symptoms:

Drug rehabilitation is simply a tool used to help treat those of us with chemical dependency. Because addiction changes lives so radically, rehab attempts to help people gain back their lives and enter back into society in a healthy and safe way. There are dozens of different types of facilities. Some are inpatient others treat addicts on an outpatient basis. Some are set up especially for alcohol and some treat all types of drug addictions. Some are gender or age specific. The key is to find the right program for you. Your therapist or physician can help you based on what they know of you and you specific problem.

There is a wide array of locations for treatment. Some programs are located in a hospital while others are freestanding facilities solely dedicated to the treatment of substance abuse. Others are located in urban areas where patients learn a trade or work. Still others are far from civilization where patients may farm the land, grow their

While in any manner of vocational setting the clients can fluctuate from different needs, scenery and situations, problem solving persist to be the major occupational purpose for this professional counselor. Even if people suffering from mental illness, families, individuals or students the professional counselor’s function and responsibility involves leading the clients through no matter what uncertainties, issues, struggles, dilemmas or problems he or she can confront. As a professional counselor wanting to function in the substance abuse rehabilitation specialty, this counselor will attempt in aiding clients in acquiring and discovering additional techniques to handle addictions, alcoholism, and life- altering occurrences, which should be

The goal of a substance abuse counselor is to help clients overcome their struggles with addiction and assist them in working to improve their quality of life. Substance abuse counselors specialize in treating many forms of addiction, from drug and alcohol abuse to eating disorders. Effective counseling involves applying several strategies and techniques to promote recovery and prevent relapse.

Many addicts in treatment become motivated to enter the career of counselling. Whether they are attracted by the prospect of helping addicts or other reasons this decision should not be taken lightly. They should first discuss with their own addiction counsellor and their 12 step sponsor before embarking on this path. It can be very difficult to work your own program of recovery and maintain the professionalism required to be effective in addiction counselling.