The Who, What, and Why of Substance Abuse

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Substance abuse is the habitual use of mind altering substances (Substances). Addicts have a false or altered look on reality; they need help seeing what is wrong with the life style they are living. Nikki Sixx once said,” Addiction- When you can give something up at any time, as long as it’s next Tuesday!” Recovery is teaching a person to break old habits. Substance abuse counselors are very important, not only in the mental health field, but in society as well. There are many options when it comes to recovery, for example it provides addicts a way to get moral support and sober-living help from others that are suffering from the same neuro-disease. One of the most important of recovery is support groups and meetings, which are set up nationwide. Two of the most popular groups are Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). These groups branch out and offer different types of support .Discussion meetings; a group leader choses a topic about recovery that the group will discuss. Another type of group is a speaker meetings; an addict that has been through recovery will share tips and experiences with the group. AA and NA groups are based off the 12-Step Program. The 12-Steps are a set up through a spiritual aspect. To pass a step one must complete the task given I the step. The first step is, 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable. The task in this step is to show addicts that using the substance are wearing on their life. The 12-Steps also help addicts reconnect with family that they might have hurt in the process of the addiction. The eighth step states, Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. Last is, having... ... middle of paper ... ...ance). As for education one can go as far as a doctorate or as little as a licensed certificate. The higher one’s education is the more opportunities will be presented. The typical education of a SAC is a master in Behavioral Science (Advanced). Along with six hours of counselor ethics and 2,000 to 4,000 hours of supervised clinical experience. Ad studies continue to discover more information; professionals will need to learn more. Forty hours of recertification is required every two years (Advanced). The work environment is not the same for everyone (how). Come of the possible environments are: hospitals, rehabs, detention centers, schools, private practices, and human service facilities. Many SACs work alongside with physicians, social workers, and psychiatrists to develop treatment plans (Substance). In some settings a SAC may need to work nights and weekends.

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