Can I Be a Substance Abuse Counselor?
Question by Kara Rodriguez: Can I be a substance abuse counselor?
I am really interested in becoming a Substance Abuse Counselor but I have heard that without being a recovering addict yourself, patients tend to not respect your opinion. I’ve never touched a drug in my life, but I really think I could be good at this. Any opinions? I would like any feedback you can give me. Thank you!
Best answer:
Answer by Leah F
You don’t need to be a recovering addict in order to give the best advice. But first, you need to learn tons about substance abuse and the substance itself. You must really look in depth with this, if you’ve never touched a drug. Meaning interview drug addicts or even sit in at counseling sessions if they have that. (Some places do.) Anyone can be a substance abuse counselor.
-Leah
Answer by Anna
You definitely can be, there is nothing saying you can’t, but you will not be as successful as a recovered addict. People recovering from drug abuse really need to know you’ve been there. Maybe you could look into other counseling careers you’d be great at. I asked my fiance about his rehab experience and he said he wouldn’t have trusted a drug counselor that hadn’t been there because you would not be able to empathize with withdrawal and other things drug related. and I’ve had contact with friends and family that have needed counseling for drugs or alcohol.
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