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[ article search ]  Working Towards a Healthy Future |
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Page 1 next page >> When you ask a little kid what they want to be when they grow up, many say "firefighter," "doctor," or "police officer." Not many say "addictions counselor." Yet this social services profession is as rewarding and challenging career choice as any of the above. Know your stuff But before you race out and apply to an addictions counseling program, you need to know some things. Like, what exactly do addictions counselors treat? An addiction is the compulsive use of a substance or behaviour despite the resulting negative consequences. In other words, it's a type of habit that is used to make a person feel good, even though it harms them in some way. When most people think of addictions, they think of alcohol and drug abuse. It's only on second thought that other addictions come to mind. Most addictions fit into one of two categories: substance abuse or abuse involving activities. Substance abuse is the addiction to something that you take into your body to change the way you feel. This includes abuse of all types of alcohol, drugs (including prescription, over-the-counter, and illicit drugs), inhalants or solvents (known as "sniffing" or "huffing), and tobacco. The health risks of substance abuse are obvious but the risk for personal, financial, and social harm is just as deadly. Then there are many activities that most people engage in every day and think of as harmless, such as eating, exercising, shopping, using the Internet, working, having sex, and gambling. But when a person does these activities too next page >> |
