How To Become An Alcohol And Drug Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is an alcohol and drug counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Debra Minsky-Kelly

This personnel is a licensed mental health professional that helps people overcome alcohol and substance abuse problems. He/She helps patients overcome addiction and adopt proper lifestyles. He/She offers support, motivation, and treatment to people having drug and alcohol problems. Also, he/she evaluates the physical and mental behaviors of patients. Asides from that, he/she develops and implements appropriate treatment and recovery plans. Additionally, he/she works with psychiatrists, doctors, nurses, social workers, and the likes.

States have varying education, licensing, and certification requirements for this position. Educational requirements range from a high school diploma to a master's degree. You either get on-the-job training or have previous experience in a similar role. You must possess communication, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills. Also, you must be compassionate. Applicants can find employment in residential treatment centers, outpatient facilities, or private practice. This personnel earns about $42,865 per annum. Their salary falls between $29,000 and $64,000.

What general advice would you give to an Alcohol And Drug Counselor?

Debra Minsky-Kelly

Director of Field Education / Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work, Carthage College

I think there are two critical skills for social workers, whether they are first entering the workforce or seasoned professionals. These skills are humility and an appreciation for ambiguity in our work. A humble approach to our work empowers clients to become experts on their circumstances. Social workers are then positioned in a collaborative role to help clients use existing skills and resources to improve their situations. An appreciation for ambiguity is closely related to the idea of humility. It helps us to remember that practice situations we face in this field are often far more complicated than they appear on the surface. Thus, all social workers need to make a strong commitment to lifelong learning and ongoing consultation with colleagues to ensure that multiple perspectives are included as we work to solve complex problems.

ScoreAlcohol And Drug CounselorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,758

Avg. Salary $59,228

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 62.47%

male 37.53%

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 alcohol and drug counselor

Explore alcohol and drug counselor education requirements

Most common alcohol and drug counselor degrees

Bachelor's

53.4 %

Master's

22.1 %

Associate

17.7 %

Start to develop specific alcohol and drug counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	14.77%
Social Work	10.99%
Crisis Intervention	7.80%
Rehabilitation	6.70%
Substance Abuse Treatment	6.43%

Complete relevant alcohol and drug counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New alcohol and drug 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 alcohol and drug counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real alcohol and drug counselor resumes.

Research alcohol and drug counselor duties and responsibilities

Plan and implement follow-up and aftercare programs for clients to be discharge from treatment programs.
Practice cognitive behavioral, motivational enhancement and structural family therapy.
front office, counseling and aftercare.
Administer UA test onsite and send out.

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