How to become an addiction counselor without a degree

You cannot become an addiction counselor without a degree, and you must obtain a certification in alcohol and drug abuse counseling. The educational path to becoming an addiction counselor is rather straightforward and consists of...

How To Become An Addictions Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is an addictions counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

Recovering from an addiction is never easy, which is why there are addictions counselors to help patients overcome their habits in the healthiest of ways. As an addictions counselor, your duties will revolve around helping people overcome their dependence on drugs, alcohol, and other addictive substances.

These duties include assessing clients' backgrounds, reviewing charts, recommending proper treatment options, and providing counseling. You are also responsible for keeping track of each client's progress by keeping a detailed log of the results of their counseling sessions, treatments, and other steps involved in the recovery process. Moreover, you may also point clients to benefits and other services available to them, such as government aid and community programs.

When hiring for this position, most employers look for candidates with a bachelor's or master's degree in mental health counseling, psychology, social work, and other related fields. You must also have prior experience working with addicted individuals as well as proper certification as required in your state.

When you become an addictions counselor, you can expect an average salary of $46,000 per year. In terms of opportunities, you can find jobs in rehabilitation centers, healthcare facilities, community services, and other places that offer treatment to addicts.

What general advice would you give to an addictions counselor?

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

Dr., Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Vanguard University

Opportunities come in many different shapes and sizes, but they are still out there. Whether you are seeking to land a job in education or the non-profit sector, you will need to familiarize yourself and get used to all things digital, for the sake of communicating effectively. The younger your student or service partner's mindset, the more digitally savvy you will need to be, especially in the classroom and in the non-profit world.

ScoreAddictions CounselorUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,226

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 4.56%

Black or African American 11.43%

Hispanic or Latino 15.39%

Unknown 4.56%

White 63.21%

Gender

female 64.61%

male 35.39%

Age - 37

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37

Stress level

9.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an addictions counselor

Explore addictions counselor education requirements

Most common addictions counselor degrees

Bachelor's

53.3 %

Master's

27.2 %

Associate

14.6 %

Start to develop specific addictions counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	18.19%
Social Work	11.71%
Chemical Dependency	6.15%
Crisis Intervention	5.72%
Substance Abuse Treatment	5.23%

Complete relevant addictions counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New addictions counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an addictions counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real addictions counselor resumes.

Research addictions counselor duties and responsibilities

Ensure and manage the compliance with Didi Hirsch policies and procedures, contracts and other regulatory agencies, HIPAA and DMH.
Develop treatment plans and recommend a level of care within ASAM and DSM-IV guidelines, and approve requirements.
Restore patients to productive roles by educating them about available community base organizations, and social and employment services.
Perform initial evaluations and intakes, make eligibility determinations, conduct rehabilitation planning and problem solving, and counseling.

Prepare your addictions counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your addictions counselor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an addictions counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable addictions counselor resume templates

Build a professional addictions counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your addictions counselor resume.

Apply for addictions counselor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an addictions counselor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do addictions counselors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Addictions counselor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2024

Cons

can be easy to get burnt out, pay is ok

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Pros

You make a positive difference every single day. If you're looking for meaningful work, this is it!