# 11
Ethical Questions
One doesn't have to dig very deeply to discover the debate with continues in treatment circles regarding a non-Physician counselor who purports to be secure in his position as counselor while maintain an accurate awareness that he too is/was an addict.
What Happens When Addiction Counselors Relapse?
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Relapse among recovery professionals are not uncommon.
AA began with “one alcoholic talking to another.” Bill W. at his darkest moment was only able to stay sober by talking with another drunk, Dr. Bob. The message is simple: if addicts want to stay clean, they must help others to sobriety.
That was 74 years ago, when AA was the only support available to most substance abusers. Since then, the recovery movement has become has become a billion-dollarvocation. These days, close to 100,000 people in the United States work in recovery-related jobs, earning their living as drug counselors, "techs" or social workers at hospital treatment programs or at thousands of rehabs across the country. In general, most people who enter the field of chemical dependency have some kind of personal connection with the problem—many have friends or family members who are or were addicts. But according to recent studies, well over 50 percent of the social workers, counselors, therapists, administrators and others who help addicts achieve sobriety were once addicts themselves—a strange twist on the famous Hunter S. Thompson quote, “When the going get weird, the weird turn pro.”
While this personal connection to their clients tends to mean addiction professionals are incredibly passionate and dedicated, there is a down side as well. It's no secret that many addicts, even those with significant sober time under their belts, relapse. And when addicts or alcoholics working in recovery stumble, the consequences are often more dire than for the pedestrian—that is, non-professional—drunk.
.... While relapse of a counselor or other addiction professional poses dangers to patients, the biggest threat is actually to the person who relapses. “Anecdotally, the recovery rate for people who work in the field that relapse is abysmal,” says Rice. Leonard, who drank for three months before “heading south,” says, “They were really tough on me and told me the outcomes were not good. We’ve had a number of clinicians and counselors come through The Retreat, and they’re difficult to work with because they tend to be in a lot of denial.”
One of many Ethical Codes for counselors appears below and, clearly, the industry acknowledges that it is a "briar-patch" having few clear paths.
http://www.naadac.org/code-of-ethics
In some future post, we may explore Physicians as addicts.
That was 74 years ago, when AA was the only support available to most substance abusers. Since then, the recovery movement has become has become a billion-dollarvocation. These days, close to 100,000 people in the United States work in recovery-related jobs, earning their living as drug counselors, "techs" or social workers at hospital treatment programs or at thousands of rehabs across the country. In general, most people who enter the field of chemical dependency have some kind of personal connection with the problem—many have friends or family members who are or were addicts. But according to recent studies, well over 50 percent of the social workers, counselors, therapists, administrators and others who help addicts achieve sobriety were once addicts themselves—a strange twist on the famous Hunter S. Thompson quote, “When the going get weird, the weird turn pro.”
While this personal connection to their clients tends to mean addiction professionals are incredibly passionate and dedicated, there is a down side as well. It's no secret that many addicts, even those with significant sober time under their belts, relapse. And when addicts or alcoholics working in recovery stumble, the consequences are often more dire than for the pedestrian—that is, non-professional—drunk.
.... While relapse of a counselor or other addiction professional poses dangers to patients, the biggest threat is actually to the person who relapses. “Anecdotally, the recovery rate for people who work in the field that relapse is abysmal,” says Rice. Leonard, who drank for three months before “heading south,” says, “They were really tough on me and told me the outcomes were not good. We’ve had a number of clinicians and counselors come through The Retreat, and they’re difficult to work with because they tend to be in a lot of denial.”
One of many Ethical Codes for counselors appears below and, clearly, the industry acknowledges that it is a "briar-patch" having few clear paths.
http://www.naadac.org/code-of-ethics
In some future post, we may explore Physicians as addicts.
posted by dryjordan @ July 10, 2016
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