New Helpline Assists Teens in Finding Help for Addiction
Teenagers who struggle with substance abuse and addiction often do not know where or how to get help in becoming sober. The Easthampton Adolescent Rehab Helpline has been created to give teens a reliable source of information on overcoming …
Read more on PR Web (press release)

Hamill: Chiara de Blasio's substance abuse admission an inspiration to …
The Daily News front page on Christmas Day, which spoke directly to those gathered at a South Bronx drug rehabilitation center on the holiday. RELATED: LUPICA: CHIARA'S DRUG ABUSE REVEAL PLAYED LIKE CELEB IN CRISIS. “She's alive,” he …
Read more on New York Daily News

New Adolescent Substance Abuse Helpline Assists Young Addicts in Lufkin
Thousands of teenagers throughout Texas struggle with drug or alcohol abuse every day. To help make a difference, the Lufkin Adolescent Rehab Helpline has been established to help young adults suffering from substance abuse get the proper help they …
Read more on PR Web (press release)

Types of Painkillers Abused – http://drugrehabcenter.com – Types of Painkillers Abused – Discover the best treatment options for you. Call our Toll-Free Recovery Hotline at 1-800-839-1682…

Codeine Addiction and Codeine Abuse – http://drugrehabcenter.com – Codeine Addiction and Codeine Abuse – Take the first step toward drug or alcohol rehabilitation and call our Toll Free Recovery …

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino: "The disease of addiction doesn't discriminate"
A meteoric rise to fame brought Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino from training at a gym in central New Jersey in 2009 to a press tour in Australia in Feb. 2012. That's when he encountered a problem. The “Jersey Shore” star had run out of his oxycodone …
Read more on CBS News

'Heroin in pill form': Staten Island racked by prescription painkiller addiction
BP James Molinaro is just one Staten Islander who lost his son to painkiller addiction, and eventually overdose. “There was no excuse for him to do what he did,” Molinaro said at a press conference last week. “But he was ten-foot-tall and bulletproof …
Read more on Metro.us

Television ad campaign aimed at preventing prescription painkiller addiction …
But thanks to citywide efforts to help prevent the epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse on Staten Island and elsewhere, she hopes to use her family's tragedy to educate the public. To that end, the city Health Department launched a powerful new …
Read more on SILive.com

Retired firefighters donate to cancer research
Other proactive measures include having an Employee Assistance Program available to all department members, having workshops where counselors or other qualified entities (CISM teams, chaplains, training officers) address potential issues and how to …
Read more on FireEngineering.com

Brother Benno's recovery leader has own success story
She is now recovery leader, which means she oversees the homes, and she is also a bona fide drug and alcohol abuse counselor, certified through Palomar College. We met on Friday at Brother Benno's headquarters, which always seems to be bustling with …
Read more on U-T San Diego

Question by rachel: Inspirational quotes?
My friend is going through a tough time right now, so I’m planning to make a card for her with some inspirational quotes. Any ideas?

Best answer:

Answer by James
“Only those who see the invisible can do the impossible.”

Answer by FLOYD R
Reach for the stars. You might not touch one but you won’t come up with a handful of mud.

Violence mars Sydney's NYE
As a record two million people poured into Sydney for the New Year's Eve fireworks, emergency services battled with drug and alcohol abuse and violence. Source. AAP. UPDATED YESTERDAY … Facts tendered to court stated that Mr Christie had undergone …
Read more on SBS

Nearly 5000 pot business applications in Wash.
That's just ASKING to devolve into a political argument and I just don't have it in me right now to go scour for facts or check your sources, if you'd have any. How many alcoholics … Drug rehab facilities are for far more than just booze and pot …
Read more on KIMA CBS 29

Brooks, medical pot big news in 2013
16: Mayor Robert Crowell's State of the City speech reflected fiscal facts, but he added the city faces challenges that city government and private sector people can overcome. 17: Gov. Brian Sandoval proposed expanding all-day kindergarten to nearly …
Read more on Nevada Appeal

Question by Joe B: Why would any sane individual agree to 3 strike laws when it comes to addicts and drugs?
Is that the same thing as giving a obese individual 3 strikes to lose weight, on the 3rd strike if they remain fat they go to prison for 10+ years while the taxpayers float the bill?
The point here is that addiction is very hard to overcome despite the label being put on it. Applying 3 strikes on something that is so hard to over come (given the courts do not focus on rehabilitation anymore) seems ignorant to the fact that addiction can’t just end on a whim.

Best answer:

Answer by Captain Snarky
Except it’s not illegal to be fat or even morbidly obese. If you break the law, you go to jail. If you repeatedly break the law, you go to jail for a long time. No sympathy for the devil. Buy the ticket, take the ride.

Answer by Jo
Fat people don’t rob others to support their habits.
Fat people aren’t going to kill someone because of altered perceptions under the influence of food.
Addicts can be violent and are a threat to the society at large.
Even in a rehab, there’s a good chance that the tax payers would be footing the bill-at least in jail they can’t harm others.
So I have to respectfully disagree with you on this one.

New Addiction Helpline Guides Teenage Addicts to Recovery
The Sidney Adolescent Rehab Helpline has been established to help young adults access reliable information about drug and alcohol treatment programs in their area. The helpline is providing a much-needed resource for teenagers who previously didn't …
Read more on PR Web (press release)

by nogger

Question by Andy: What Kind Of Salary Can an LCSW in Texas Expect?
I’m currently a 23 year old male graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. I’m doing the Masters of Social Work program in order to allow me to earn an LCSW after I graduate. My ultimate career goal is to have a private practice, working primarily with people with mood disorders, drug issues, and perhaps couples therapy.

What kind of salary can I expect out of the gate? Ten years from now? Anyone have any general advice they’d like to share? It’s all appreciated, thank you!

Best answer:

Answer by DS
http://www1.salary.com/TX/Licensed-Clinical-Social-Worker-salary.html
http://www.indeed.com/salary/q-Master-Social-Worker-Lmsw-Lcsw-l-Texas.html
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Licensed_Clinical_Social_Worker_(LCSW)/Salary

Private practice is risky. You’re obviously not going to open out up right off the bat so find a good job at a hospital and put in your time. Look in to specializing in PTSD since thats going to be a big thing going forward with all the vets coming back from over a decade of continuous war. There is also a lot of government funding going to PTSD research (which is more on the psychologist side of things) but some of that will trickle down to therapy and insurance reimbursments.

Answer by monique
If you have a private practice, don’t think “salary”, because you will be paying yourself (so to speak). If your goal is to have a private practice, you will definitely want at minimum another therapist working for you or a partner who buys into the practice. Your stress will be high if you are a one man show, and then you will be the one needing therapy! Self care is so important, because you are taking on the problems of individuals 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. So if you decided to set up a private practice with a partner you would of course need your business plan. How much money you would need upfront. You would need money upfront for signing a lease for your practice site. As you probably know insurance does not pay you the next day after the session, which is why you definitely need to have money in the bank to pay the lease, utilities and any staff you may have…ie. receptionist.

In looking at income, private practice income is across the board. Your income will depend on several factors….who is your bulk of clients? Those with insurance, private pay, Medicaid? If your clients have good health insurance you will be reimbursed at higher rates, than lets say Medicaid. Some therapists have an income of six figures, some have an income of $ 50,000…..it all boils down to “reimbursement”.

I would say that typically while some therapists are “generalists” in that they see all populations (children, adolescents, young adults, etc) for various types of needs (mood disorders, anxiety, etc), drug and alcohol abuse is usually a unique field. And dual diagnosis requires specialization……those diagnosed with mentall illness and diagnosed with alcohol/drug abuse. That is why you notice drug/alcohol abuse centers that only specialize in that area. Even with standards of practice, if I were a therapist and a client came and told me they were addicted to drugs, since you can’t do therapy on someone who is actively using or addicted, the standard of practice is to refer them to a trained alcohol/drug abuse counselor/therapist. That is not something a generalist therapist can handle.

So if your main interest is drug/alcohol abuse and perhaps dual diagnosis that would be an area you would need to focus strictly on. Many states require additional certifications as well for drug/alcohol abuse therapists/counseling because it is very different than doing therapy with someone who has depression. You have the substance on top of the problems.

Examples of job searches for drug/alcohol abuse counselors/therapists

“Chemical Dependency Counselor
Travis County – Austin, TX
Licenses, Registrations, Certifications, or Special Requirements: Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC); OR, Qualified Credentialed Counselor (QCC) must be obtained within six (6) months of date of hire. Valid Texas Driver’s License.” http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=drug+abuse+counselor&l=tx#jk=7ca0b3f65e9dba4f

Another example:
“Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor
Department Of Veterans Affairs – El Paso County, TX
Education: Hold a master’s degree in mental health counseling, or a related field, from a program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Examples of related mental health counseling fields include, but are not limited to, Addiction Counseling; Community Counseling; Gerontology Counseling; Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling; and Marriage and Family Therapy. A doctoral degree in mental health counseling may not be substituted for the master’s degree in mental health counseling,”

Another job search example:
“Substance Abuse Counselor-San Antonio
Qualified candidates will have an LCDCI or LCDC certification in the state of Texas”
http://cmglp.catsone.com/careers/index.php?m=portal&a=details&jobOrderID=562573&ref=indeed

Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselors are licensed by the state of Texas Department of State Services:
“A licensed chemical dependency counselor (LCDC) is licensed to provide chemical dependency counseling services involving the application of the principles, methods, and procedures of the chemical dependency profession as defined by the profession’s ethical standards and the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) as defined by rule in 25 TAC ch. 441 (relating to General Provisions).”
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/lcdc/lcdc_counselor.shtm

So if you want to focus on alcohol/drug counseling and want to work in a good drug/alcohol abuse treatment counseling center, you would definitely want to pursue additiona licensure like above that is offered in the state of Texas.

For more information on Dual Diagnosis:
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/index.cfm?objectid=c7df9405-1372-4d20-c89d7bd2cd1ca1b9

Best wishes in your career endeavors!