How To Become A Drug Abuse Worker: What It Is and Career Path

What is a drug abuse worker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average drug abuse worker salary is $36,741. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an social work major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a drug abuse worker. Drug abuse workers with a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 64,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreDrug Abuse WorkerUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $36,741

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.3

Growth Rate 9%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 3.12%

Black or African American 7.90%

Hispanic or Latino 7.90%

Unknown 6.24%

White 74.22%

Gender

female 68.18%

male 31.82%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

9.3

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.5

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a drug abuse worker

Explore drug abuse worker education requirements

Most common drug abuse worker degrees

Bachelor's

44.4 %

Associate

28.6 %

Master's

12.7 %

Start to develop specific drug abuse worker skills

Skills	Percentages
Substance Abuse Treatment	39.31%
Crisis Intervention	14.22%
Abuse Program	13.11%
Transport Clients	11.80%
Clinical Supervision	6.45%

Complete relevant drug abuse worker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New drug abuse workers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a drug abuse worker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real drug abuse worker resumes.

Research drug abuse worker duties and responsibilities

Lead support groups with an emphasis on recovery and strength base techniques, DBT, CBT, self-care and coping skills.
Require to successfully complete yearly training for medication management, behavioral management and periodic CPR and first aid certifications.
Facilitate institutional AA meetings as necessary.

Prepare your drug abuse worker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your drug abuse worker resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a drug abuse worker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Drug Abuse Worker Resume templates

Build a professional Drug Abuse Worker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Drug Abuse Worker resume.

Apply for drug abuse worker jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a drug abuse worker job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do drug abuse workers rate their job?