THE ROLE OF AN ADDICTION PROFESSIONAL'S RECOVERY STATUS

Suppose you are assessing Robert, a service user with a long struggle with alcoholism. At the end of the assessment, you recommend medically managed, intensive, inpatient treatment. He seems reluctant to commit to treatment, stating that he has already completed treatment programs in the past and "none of them worked." You explain the seriousness of his situation and encourage him to commit to treatment. Then he asks: "Are you in recovery?" You are taken aback by his question and sense that he is skeptical as to whether you can truly empathize with him. Would having personal experience with an addiction make you a more effective addiction professional? You will consider this question as you complete the following Discussion.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Professional Development

NAADAC. (n.d.)Links to an external site.. https://www.naadac.org/

Note: Explore the Education tab and the Conference & Events tab for opportunities and resources to further your knowledge, skills, and abilities in addiction screening and assessment.

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare. (n.d.). Screening and assessmentLinks to an external site.. https://ncsacw.samhsa.gov/topics/screening-and-assessment.aspx

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (n.d.). Practitioner trainingLinks to an external site.. https://www.samhsa.gov/practitioner-training

Addiction Professionals' Recovery Status

New Creation College. (2016 June). Do recovering addicts make the best drug & alcohol counselors?Links to an external site. https://newcreationcollege.org/do-recovering-addicts-make-the-best-drug-alcohol-counselors/

Newman, C. (2021, June 8). Hey doc, are you in recovery too?Links to an external site. Beck Institute. https://beckinstitute.org/blog/hey-doc-are-you-in-recovery-too-2/

Nielson, E. M. (2016). Substance abuse counselors' recovery status and self-schemas: Preliminary implications for empirically supported treatment implementationLinks to an external site..Journal of Drug and Alcohol Research,. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5473661/

Note: Read the following sections: Introduction, 3.4 Recovering Counselors' Views, and 3.5 Nonrecovering Counselors' Views.

Questions

What are the pros and cons of having a personal history of addiction when working as an addiction professional?

Do you think an addiction professional needs to have personally struggled with an addiction to be effective? Why or why not?

How would you suggest that an addiction professional respond to a service user who asked them if they had a personal history of addiction?