Are you hoping to find a career that allows you to make a difference in the world? Are you a supportive person, a good listener, and a problem solver? If so, an addiction specialist job may be the perfect career for you.
With the right skills, education, and certification, you can have a fulfilling career with a wide range of job opportunities. At Sober College of Addiction Studies, we can provide you with the education you need to get started as a Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor (CADC), but first, let’s look at eight reasons to choose a career as a substance abuse counselor.
- Any Experience With Addiction Can Be Beneficial
In many fields, personal experience with addiction might be seen as negative. This is especially true if you have experienced an arrest or legal issues related to substance abuse.
As an addiction counselor, however, you can turn these negative experiences with substance abuse into a way to help others. People with addiction issues are more likely to relate to someone who has faced similar life experiences.
As an addiction specialist, your goal is to help others address their addictions and move on to a happier, healthier life. This can offer you a sense of accomplishment and a daily reminder of how far you’ve come and even support your continued recovery.
- High Job Availability
Not only do addiction specialists make a real difference in people’s lives, but this career also is in high demand and provides competitive salaries and often includes many benefits, such as health care coverage, paid time off, sick leave, 401K plans and more.
Unfortunately, the rate of drug and alcohol dependence is high, but that means that facilities to help people with addiction are becoming more and more plentiful and this is a job market with high projected continued growth. The potential to get a job as a licensed addiction counselor is excellent. There’s always job availability, and an addiction specialist salary can provide for a stable future for you.
As addiction numbers increase around the country, more job opportunities will be available for addiction specialists. When a field is in demand, you may be able to negotiate for better pay or benefits, especially once you acquire a certain level of experience.
- You’ll Truly Be Helping Those Who Need It
One of the best aspects of working in the addiction treatment field is the reward of helping countless individuals overcome their addictions. if you’re considering a job in this field, the idea of helping others probably appeals to you.
Overcoming a serious addiction is one of the hardest things someone will ever do. Knowing you can provide counseling and support to those struggling with addiction is truly rewarding.
- This Career Boosts Your Own Personal Growth
Working as an addiction specialist will never be a boring job. You’ll be thrown into the lives of people who are facing all the negative aspects of addiction.
You’ll hear their stories and share in their grief and hardships. These experiences will change you and lead the way to more wisdom and personal growth in your own life.
In many cases, you may become attached to the patients’ recovery and experience the joy of their success. You may even develop long-lasting friendships in the process. Life as an addiction specialist is not easy, but it’s the daily rewards of helping others that keep people in this rewarding field.
- You’ll Be Learning Every Day
As an addiction specialist, you’ll spend your days alongside people at various stages of recovery. This offers great insight into the cycles of addiction and human behavior.
Addiction affects people from all walks of life and working in this field offers a practical daily education about how addiction affects people and the ones who love them.
Gaining new experiences and knowledge every day will help you be a more knowledgeable and empathetic certified drug and alcohol counselor (CADC) for those struggling with addiction.
- It’s Not Your Typical 9 to 5
As a drug and alcohol counselor, your days will never be boring. You won’t experience the monotony of a 9 to 5 job because you’ll be working with unique individuals with unique problems.
No two days as an addiction specialist will be the same. Your patients will all be experiencing different challenges with their addictions, and you’ll be there to support them. Although the job can be extremely challenging at times, for many, it’s a mentally and spiritually rewarding career.
Of course, it is important to note that handling paperwork and doing some research is a big part of the job of an addiction counselor. However, if you are organized and efficient as well as compassionate and caring, this career can be an excellent match.
- Build Teamwork Skills
They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes a lot of teamwork to help someone deal with addiction. As a substance abuse counselor, you’ll develop strong bonds with those you help, but you’ll also benefit from having a supportive work team around you. Teamwork is an important aspect of addiction counseling.
In this field, you’ll lean on your fellow workers for support and advice. You’ll deal with very sensitive issues, and it’s sometimes hard for those not in the addiction field to understand what you do.
Your coworkers will understand the challenges of the job and will be there to offer support and work with you as part of a team. If you love working with others, a career as an addiction specialist can be a good fit.
- Education Can Be Completed Quickly
You may think you need a degree or extensive education to become an addiction specialist, but that’s not the case. To sign up with Sober College, however, you only need a high school diploma or the equivalent.
Our NAADAC-approved and CCAPP-approved curriculum can be used to fill the educational requirements for anyone wishing to become a CADC-I, CADC-II and CADC-III, as all of these options required 315 hours of approved education as well as 255 hours of practicum experience, which also will help you complete.
Best of all, our addiction studies program can be completed in just six months, and our coursework can be completed entirely online, which makes it a fantastic option for working adults. We offer plenty of support, and your experienced instructors are always on hand to answer questions or discuss concerns.
Start Earning Your Substance Abuse Certification Now!
If you’re considering a career as an addiction specialist, this career begins with the right traying, and we’d love to help you reach your career goals. Contact Sober College at any time to learn more about our program. If you are ready to enroll, you can simply click on the Get Started tab on our homepage and select Apply or browse our Counselor Training and Tuition sections to learn more about our school.
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