The Who, What, and Why of Substance Abuse Essay - 666 Words

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†¦show more content†¦AA and Na meetings are nationwide. Most meetings are set up in church basements, treatment facilities, hospitals and recovery clubs (Twelve). In AA and NA an addict chooses a sponsor to share a personal and private relationship that provides experience, strength, and hope with sponsee. A counselor helps people come up from the lowest part of their life. To do this they have to have certain personality qualities. Addiction flows though all walks of life; interpersonal skills are needed. Interpersonal skills include: listening, communication, problem solving, and decision making. A professional needs to have these skills to assess the severity of the addiction and develop and treatment plan (Substance). It is a Substance Abuse Counselors (SAC) job to identify the severity of one’s addiction and what triggers it. While evaluating a client’s mental and physical health, and addictive behavior. SACs do not only help the client but the families, too; advising them on warnings signs of relapse and how to help. An addict has to be read to see treatment, so counselors have to assess reediness for treatment to know how to treat a patient (Substance). Addiction is a life long i llness and addicts need help not only with recovery, but with daily necessities, like acquiring a job. SACS recommend job placements and support groups such as AA and NA so that one can find other people with the same difficulties as themselves (Substance). Counselors can specialize in certain groupsShow MoreRelatedSubstance Abuse Is A Serious Condition892 Words   |  4 PagesSubstance addiction afflicts one in twelve Americans and involves millions more family members and friends. The statistics are scary; in the United States an estimate of 88,000 deaths a year is a result of excessive alcohol abuse while deaths from cigarette smoke exceed 480,000 a year. About 100 Americans per day died from drug overdose in 2013(Kane, G. 2015). Substance abuse is a serious condition that should not be ignored or minim- ized. 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