What Is An Addiction Specialist
An addiction counselor is a support system for people with drug and alcohol problems, eating disorders and other behavioral issues. They teach individuals how to modify their behavior with the intention of full recovery. Because clients are susceptible to relapses, many substance abuse counselors work with clients on an on-going basis.
Other goals of treatment include:
- Meeting with clients to evaluate their health and substance problem
- Identifying issues and create goals and treatment plans
- Teaching clients coping mechanisms
- Providing updates and progress reports to courts
- Referring clients to support groups
- Setting up aftercare plans
- Meeting with family members and provide guidance and support
The core mission of the addiction specialist is helping people overcome addictions and cope with life’s stressors. The first step in treatment is evaluating a person’s physical and mental behaviors. Depending on the complexity of the problem, a counselor may call in other professionals, such as psychiatrists or make appropriate referrals.
Moving from Sobriety to Recovery
All that is required to be sober is that we not drink/use. By the time a person reaches addiction, there is assuredly wreckage in 
their lives. Some of us lost friends, family, jobs, money, and/or material possessions. To regain what was lost is a major undertaking and simply must be done with support. For all of us, the wreckage includes the loss of self, the destruction of self, and the emotional fallout of having succumbed to the disease of addiction.
We seek to change, to transform and to become something greater than we are. Most of us are simultaneously overwhelmed and in a hurry. This is a very problematic combination.
Addiction counseling is a process of prioritizing. After sobriety is attained, we need to make choices regarding what’s most important and develop manageable plans on how to attain it.