Alcoholic counselor vs drug abuse counselor

The differences between alcoholic counselors and drug abuse counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an alcoholic counselor and a drug abuse counselor. Additionally, a drug abuse counselor has an average salary of $49,420, which is higher than the $43,635 average annual salary of an alcoholic counselor.

The top three skills for an alcoholic counselor include social work, discharge planning and AOD. The most important skills for a drug abuse counselor are patients, drug abuse, and substance abuse education.

Alcoholic counselor vs drug abuse counselor overview

	Alcoholic Counselor	Drug Abuse Counselor
Yearly salary	$43,635	$49,420
Hourly rate	$20.98	$23.76
Growth rate	-	11%
Number of jobs	27,287	27,596
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	6	6

Alcoholic counselor vs drug abuse counselor salary

Alcoholic counselors and drug abuse counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Alcoholic Counselor	Drug Abuse Counselor
Average salary	$43,635	$49,420
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $58,000	Between $35,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between alcoholic counselor and drug abuse counselor education

There are a few differences between an alcoholic counselor and a drug abuse counselor in terms of educational background:

	Alcoholic Counselor	Drug Abuse Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Hunter College of the City University of New York	California State University - Long Beach

Alcoholic counselor vs drug abuse counselor demographics

Here are the differences between alcoholic counselors' and drug abuse counselors' demographics:

	Alcoholic Counselor	Drug Abuse Counselor
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 51.3% Female, 48.7%	Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between alcoholic counselor and drug abuse counselor duties and responsibilities

Alcoholic counselor example responsibilities.

Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Facilitate substance abuse group counseling sessions to assist patients in recognizing causal factors of substance abuse and in developing coping behaviors.
Collaborate with peers in leadership capacity at recreational summer camp leading, coordinating and organizing daily activities and weekly field trips.

Drug abuse counselor example responsibilities.

Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Consult with physicians regarding increase or decrease of methadone dosage.
Supervise and direct other workers providing services to patients.
Provide individual counseling services to opioid dependent clients in outpatient methadone maintenance treatment.
Participate in policy-shaping rehabilitation committee meetings.
Provide DBT group psychotherapy in inpatient, residential setting serving pregnant teenagers and young mothers.

Alcoholic counselor vs drug abuse counselor skills

Common alcoholic counselor skills

Social Work, 44%
Discharge Planning, 14%
AOD, 13%
Treatment Services, 9%
Mental Health, 7%
Intake Process, 3%

Common drug abuse counselor skills

Patients, 14%
Drug Abuse, 10%
Substance Abuse Education, 10%
Discharge Summaries, 10%
Methadone, 6%
Substance Abuse Issues, 5%

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Alcoholic Counselor
Alcoholic Counselor vs Drug Abuse Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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