A drug counselor is a professional who helps people who are struggling with substance abuse. Depending on your region or country, you will most likely need a bachelor’s or master’s degree to work as a drug counselor. Pharmacology and psychology, as well as specific drug counseling courses, are common areas of study. To work as a drug counselor in some places, board certification or other credentials are either required or preferred.
In the United States, for example, a Certified Addiction Professional (CAP) is approved as capable of treating addiction after completing training and passing an exam under the supervision of a supervisor. To become a drug counselor, a Licensed Addictions Counselor (LAC) must complete at least one year of formal substance abuse counseling training. A bachelor’s degree, a certain number of supervised counseling work hours, and the completion of specific training qualifications are also options for earning Certification for Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADC). The Master’s in Addiction Counseling (MAC) is a master’s degree drug counselor program that may require some post-graduate work. Because qualifications vary locally as well as globally, it’s best to ask for education and training recommendations from the drug treatment facilities where you want to work.
While understanding the effects of various drugs through formal pharmacology study is required regardless of where you study, if you want to work as a drug counselor, you must be able to apply drug theory to real people suffering from addiction. For example, it’s critical to understand not only the withdrawal symptoms of various drugs, but also how addicts are likely to feel as their bodies are weaned from those drugs in a detoxification, or detox, program. Understanding the effects of detox, which is the first step in treating addiction and signifies that the drug is no longer present in the addict’s body, can help substance abuse counselors deal with an addict’s behavior more effectively.
The physical effects of drug withdrawal, for example, can be excruciating; addicts may become irritable and verbally abuse counselors. If you want to work as a drug counselor, you’ll probably have to work with addicts in detox who are suffering from unpleasant withdrawal symptoms like vomiting, seizures, shaking, body aches, increased heart rate, and anxiety. Addicts often experience psychological cravings for the drugs after the initial detox period, which counselors can help them overcome.
If you want to be a drug counselor, you may have to work shifts that include evenings in a substance abuse rehabilitation (rehab) treatment center. Addicts can stay in shared rooms at most rehab centers for weeks or months while learning to cope without drugs or alcohol. Individual and group therapy make up the majority of the remaining work after the physical detox is completed. Drug counselors encourage individuals to participate in discussions about significant incidents in their family backgrounds or other emotional trauma that contributed to the addict’s decision to use drugs during group rehab therapy sessions. Good listening skills and a compassionate attitude are required if you want to work as a drug counselor.