Business Watch: Pathway Family Services offers outpatient drug treatment
Pathway Family Services has received its license to begin treating teenagers dealing with substance abuse on an outpatient basis. Kameron Labahn-Patrick, vice president of Pathway's residential and treatment services, said assessments of substance …
Read more on Topeka Capital Journal

North Adams Triad Picnic Focuses On Drug Abuse, Treatment
Director of Classifications Al Bianchi explained the incarceration system focuses on mental health, education, substance abuse and counseling. The inmates are classified in a five-level system, with the maximum security allowing practically no freedom …
Read more on iBerkshires.com

Former addict sets up prescription drugs support group in Bradford
A support group for those addicted to prescribed and over-the-counter medication has been set up in Bradford by one man who managed to wean himself off the drugs. Tens of thousands of prescriptions are estimated to be issued each year locally for the …
Read more on Bradford Telegraph and Argus

Support Groups
Lake Erie PRIDE is a local team affiliated with PRIDE Youth Programs, which is the nation's oldest and largest peer-to-peer organization devoted to drug abuse and violence prevention through education. The local team is comprised of over 50 high school …
Read more on GoErie.com

Standing up for overdose awareness
Carol founded the local chapter of Grieving Recovery After a Substance Passing, a national support group. After her son died, she attended several support groups for grieving parents. But her son's story – a life plagued and ultimately ended by drug …
Read more on Citizens Voice

Stray cat inspires recovering addict to change his life
Video: Struggling London street musician James Bowen was recovering from a drug addiction when he befriended a stray cat who helped him turn his life around. Now he and his pet have their own book series and a potential movie deal in the works.
Read more on Today.com (blog)

Flower Mound anti-drug forum focuses on recovery, prevention
“I know what goes on in a community like this,” Marks, now 25, told more than 100 parents Saturday at a daylong forum on drug abuse. “I was the kid you didn't want in your house. I sold the drugs, made the money and used.” Since 2010, Flower Mound has …
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California's Newest Men's Only Drug and Alcohol Addiction and Dual Diagnosis …
This press release is to announce the new website Launched at the end of May 2013. This is a Men's only rehab center in Laguna Beach, California specializing in Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation and Dual Diagnosis with a huge focus on the family and long …
Read more on PR Web (press release)

Question by Dan W: Can i become a councilor with a GED?
Well i am wondering if you can become a councilor for drug abuse if you only have a GED, because i was addicted to methamphetamine, marijuana, inhalants, and alcohol for about five years of my life and luckily i got myself help and have been clean for about 2 years now and i would really like to help people overcome the demons i also faced trying to become clean, any help would be wonderful. Thanks for any feed back.

Best answer:

Answer by jannsody
Congratulations on having almost two years of sobriety! With regard to becoming a substance abuse counselor, I believe that most with a Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) have a master’s degree which takes about six years of college, if attending on a full-time basis. There are different levels of training for addictions counseling, but most jobs prefer those with a master’s degree.

Please also be aware that in order to get one’s certification as a CAC (or similar credentials), the person needs A LOT of clinical experience which includes having an actual patient caseload of those with addiction.

With regard to schooling, please AVOID those private overly priced For-profit schools such as kaplan, ashworth, capella, university of phoenix, devry, ITT tech, strayer, everest, brown mackie, american public university, keiser, argosy, penn foster, ashford, grand canyon, westwood, stratford career, pima medical institute, colorado tech and others as they are merely out to “make a profit” (** and their course credits usually do NOT transfer to other schools).

These consumer sites have a lot of negative posts by former students about those for-profit schools, and please heed the students’ warnings:

– http://www.ripoffreport.com

– http://www.pissedconsumer.com

– http://www.complaintsboard.com and can search.

Please instead consider the more affordable community college and/or public/state university as long as the program is accredited within the industry.

For U.S. colleges: http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ

This site is supposed to have more info re: (regarding) getting certified in addictions counseling: http://www.naadac.org/certification and can scroll down a bit.

General career info: http://www.bls.gov/oco and can search “counselors”, “social workers” or such.

Regarding inhalants or “huffing” (fumes or chemical vapors), my friend actually has a Brain Injury from inhalant use at the age of 12, now in her 30s.

Other risks of huffing include sight loss/blindness, heart/liver/kidney damage, seizures, limb spasms, hearing loss and even death, all of which can happen after the very FIRST time of use.

For anyone, this site has more info about the dangers of huffing – National Inhalant Prevention Coalition: http://www.inhalants.org

Wishing you continued recovery and wellness and that you continue making good, HEALTHY choices in life 🙂

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

More rehab centers needed to curb drug abuse
National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Insp. Gen. Anang Iskandar said that the country lacked drug rehabilitation centers and that the government needed to do more to handle the drug problem, especially now that the number of drug users is an estimated …
Read more on Jakarta Post

Sh6 million drug rehab centre for Moi Eldoret hospital
THE National Campaign against Drug Abuse in Kenya in collaboration with Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital Eldoret yesterday unveilled a Sh6.5 million worth rehabilitation centre. The hospital's director John Kibosia said the move is aimed at stepping …
Read more on The Star

John Pinette enters rehab for prescription drug addiction
The U.S. stand-up comedian, 49, underwent unspecified surgery earlier this year and became dependent on the drugs he was taking, the celebrity news website said. Where he is undergoing treatment and how long he is expected to stay in the facility were …
Read more on Reality TV World

More rehab centers needed to curb drug abuse
National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Insp. Gen. Anang Iskandar said that the country lacked drug rehabilitation centers and that the government needed to do more to handle the drug problem, especially now that the number of drug users is an estimated …
Read more on Jakarta Post

John Pinette enters rehab for prescription drug addiction
The U.S. stand-up comedian, 49, underwent unspecified surgery earlier this year and became dependent on the drugs he was taking, the celebrity news website said. Where he is undergoing treatment and how long he is expected to stay in the facility were …
Read more on Reality TV World