Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz
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Certified Alcohol Drug Counselors
Certified Alcohol Drug Counselors counsel and advise individuals with alcohol, tobacco, drug, or other problems, such as gambling and eating disorders. May counsel individuals, families, or groups or engage in prevention programs.
Table of contents
What they do
Certified Alcohol Drug Counselors counsel and advise individuals with alcohol, tobacco, drug, or other problems, such as gambling and eating disorders. May counsel individuals, families, or groups or engage in prevention programs.
- Complete and maintain accurate records or reports regarding the patients’ histories and progress, services provided, or other required information.
- Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes.
- Interview clients, review records and confer with other professionals to evaluate individuals’ mental and physical condition and to determine their suitability for participation in a specific program.
- Develop client treatment plans based on research, clinical experience, and client histories.
Typical day
On a daily basis, Certified Alcohol Drug Counselors complete and maintain accurate records or reports regarding the patients’ histories and progress, services provided, or other required information. They interview clients, review records, and confer with other professionals to evaluate individuals’ mental and physical conditions and to determine their suitability for participation in a specific program.
A typical day for a Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor will also include:
- Review and evaluate clients’ progress in relation to measurable goals described in treatment and care plans.
- Develop client treatment plans based on research, clinical experience, and client histories.
- Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes.
- Intervene as an advocate for clients or patients to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations.
- Provide clients or family members with information about addiction issues and about available services or programs, making appropriate referrals when necessary.
Other responsibilities
Besides their typical day, Certified Alcohol Drug Counselors also participate in case conferences or staff meetings. They may also plan or implement follow-up or aftercare programs for clients to be discharged from treatment programs.
On a weekly to monthly basis, Certified Alcohol Drug Counselors act as liaisons between clients and medical staff. They might also develop client treatment plans based on research, clinical experience, and client histories.
In addition, they coordinate counseling efforts with mental health professionals or other health professionals, such as doctors, nurses, or social workers.
Although specific duties may vary, many of them review and evaluate clients’ progress in relation to measurable goals described in treatment and care plans.
To some Certified Alcohol Drug Counselors, it is also their responsibility to confer with family members or others close to clients to keep them informed of treatment planning and progress.
What is the job like
Job satisfaction
Is this job meaningful
74% said they were satisfied with their job and 85% said they found their job meaningful.
I deal specifically with celebrities, NFL, and more high profile clients.
My Typical Day
My typical day is unlike probably anyone else you’re gonna get a response for. I specialize in traveling to the client so usually, I wake up have a cuppa coffee throw some clothes on, and head to whatever hotel that my client is staying at. I usually meet with them in the morning for about two hours to talk about goalsetting and do some coaching with them. Sometimes we will have breakfast together and then the personal trainer will meet them to work out or they will get a massage. I meet them again for another three hours of deep dive to figure out the reason while they’re using drugs and alcohol and get to the bottom of it and solve it.
Some of my key responsibilities are to figure out why the clients using drugs and alcohol to cope and give them new coping mechanisms and strategies once they are fully detoxed with our detox nurse and ready to re-integrate back into their home life. I travel a lot so that can be a pro or a con for my job function as a lot of therapists and life coaches like to stay home and work by telehealth I actually work in person in their home environment. Since I work with celebrities, NFL executives, and NBA I travel frequently with the client and end up in their home environment and their personal space. This allows me to do deeper work with them because I see them in their home environment and I’m able to see in a lifetime when they have triggers and issues arise.
Pros
The main pros to my job are that I can travel at my leisure, I can set my own schedule, which basically means on a Tuesday at 2 PM I can be hanging out at my hot tub and not working a 9-to-5 job. I get to meet new and interesting and fun people, and I can tack on a vacation day in the front or back end of my work schedule in a different city or country.
Cons
The cons of my job are that sometimes my traveling schedule can be grueling and I don’t get much time off. For example, I just did eight days straight with a private intensive client 5 to 7 hours a day with no break and then went right into teaching to back to back seminars, and hopping on a plane to go to California for another six days. What’s the reverse side of that is that if I work 15 or 20 days out of this month I could literally take off the entire next month financially. Because I’m working so intensely and traveling I can condense 60 days of work into 20 or even less than that to be able to pay the bills. Another con would be limited family time, however, I did marry a touring drummer so we both do travel a lot and it works well for our relationship. For the average person that’s family-oriented that wants to have dinner every night, this may not be the ideal job situation but because I don’t have any kids traveling it’s not a problem. I actually think it works to my advantage with my relationship with my husband and I both being big personalities and needing to constantly be entertained with different things it seems to work well.
Pros
Suitable for people who like to help and teach others.
Suitable for people who value relationships between co-workers and customers and want to work in a friendly non-competitive environment.
This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.
One of the fastest-growing careers.
Cons
Not suitable for people who like practical and hands-on work.
Salary is below average.
It is very hard to get into this career. Extensive skills, knowledge, and experience are required for this career.
How much do they make
Average salary
Average hourly wage
Entry-level Certified Alcohol Drug Counselors with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $30,590 to $36,950 per year or $15 to $18 per hour.
| Salary by experience | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Highest (Top 10%) | $78,700 | $38 |
| Senior (Top 25%) | $61,760 | $30 |
| Median | $47,660 | $23 |
| Junior (Bottom 25%) | $36,950 | $18 |
| No experience (Bottom 10%) | $30,590 | $15 |
This table shows the top 10 highest paying industries for Certified Alcohol Drug Counselors based on their average annual salary.
| Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations | $70940 | $34.10 |
| Insurance Carriers | $66140 | $31.80 |
| Child Day Care Services | $65620 | $31.55 |
| Junior Colleges | $65150 | $31.32 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | $58670 | $28.21 |
| Local Government | $58390 | $28.07 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | $57780 | $27.78 |
| Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities | $56200 | $27.02 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | $55710 | $26.78 |
| State Government | $54810 | $26.35 |
View more salary by industries here.
Where can they work
Where can Certified Alcohol Drug Counselors work? Here is a table showing the top 10 largest employers of Certified Alcohol Drug Counselors including the average salary in that industry.
| Employers | Total Employed | Annual Salary | Hourly Wages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outpatient Care Centers | 63110 | $49770 | $23.93 |
| Individual and Family Services | 52580 | $52050 | $25.02 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities | 34070 | $44050 | $21.18 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners | 30160 | $53870 | $25.90 |
| Local Government | 23170 | $58390 | $28.07 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 15150 | $55710 | $26.78 |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals | 13780 | $48920 | $23.52 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 11130 | $58670 | $28.21 |
| Offices of Physicians | 10650 | $54720 | $26.31 |
| Other Residential Care Facilities | 8540 | $42150 | $20.27 |
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What is the work day like
Working hours
Working schedule
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Telephone
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Group discussions
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Public speaking
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Level of competition
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What is the work environment like
Office-style environment
Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition
Warehouse-style environment
Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse
Outdoors
Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions
Outdoors – Under Cover
Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)
How to become one
Difficulty to become one
Required level of education
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Relevant majors
Relevant work experience
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On The Job Training
How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?
Should you become one
Best personality type for this career
People with this personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.
People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.
People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.
People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.
People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.
People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tend to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others.
They also like working with forms, designs, and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.
Work Values
Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?
You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.
You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.
You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.
You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.
You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.
You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.
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