How To Get Involved
I am frequently contacted with questions about how to get involved in various activities related to addiction treatment, recovery support and recovery advocacy. Below are some resources that may be of help.
Recovery Support Resources
Information on how to locate a broad menu of secular, spiritual, and religious recovery mutual aid groups can be found in the Mutual Aid Guide posted on the web site of Faces and Voices of Recovery.
www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org
www.intherooms.com
CAPRSS | Council on Accreditation of Peer Recovery Support Services
Financial Assistance for Addiction Treatment
https://lendedu.com/blog/financial-aid-for-drug-rehab/
Personal Finance Guide for People in Recovery
https://www.moneygeek.com/financial-planning/resources/guide-financial-recovery-after-addiction/
Recovery Advocacy
For those interested in becoming involved in recovery advocacy, I suggest getting involved with a local recovery advocacy organization or getting involved nationally with either Faces and Voices of Recovery or the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.
You can find directories of these organizations and their local affiliates at the following web sites:
Addiction Counseling
For those interested in a career in addiction counseling, I recommend three progressive steps: 1) volunteer in a local addiction treatment program to help assess whether this role is a good personal match for you, 2) contact your state addiction counseling certification board to determine the requirements for certification in your state, and 3) explore educational options that can prepare you for this role.
Information for addiction professionals working with LGBT communities can be found at:
www.nalgap.org
Other Organizations of Potential Interest
Training Opportunities in the Addictions Field
For those working in the addictions field who would like to pursue opportunities as a trainer or professional speaker, I would highly recommend participating in a series of training of trainer opportunities. These can often be located through your state addiction counselor certification organization. The material posted on this site from the book, The Training Life may also be of interest to you. To Access this latter information, click on the following:
The Training Life
Writing Opportunities in the Addictions Field
For those working in the addictions field who have an interest in contributing to the field through writing articles for trade journals or for posting on the internet or who have an interest in writing a book, I would recommend reading The Call to Write which is posted on this site and can be accessed by clicking below:
The Call to Write
For those who are interested in publishing research that they have conducted or plan to conduct, I recommend the following source:
Babor, T.F., Stenius, K & Savva, S. (2004). Publishing Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed. London: International Society of Addiction Journal Editors.
Link to Publishing Addiction Science
For journalists interested in learning more about addiction, I would recommend the workshops and lectures that can be found at:
College Addiction Studies Programs | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (nih.gov)