The substance use workforce is made up of people at all levels of experience and education, from all types of backgrounds, working in a wide range of settings.
Why choose a career in the substance use field?
- Opportunities for growth and continual learning
- Chances to make a difference every day
- Rewarding teamwork
- Impact how we prevent, treat and help people recover from substance use
- Opportunity to work directly with people
- Emphasis on equity, inclusion and diversity
What is it like to work in the substance use field?
There are many jobs you can do, places where you can work and people you can work with across the substance use field.
Whether you are preventing misuse, making sure that people who use substances are safer, helping people recover or providing medical or mental health treatment - you can make a difference.
Where could you work?
Examples of places you could work in the substance use field:
- Schools
- Doctor’s offices
- Mental health offices
- Treatment centers
- Peer recovery support centers
- Syringe service programs
- Non-profit organizations
- Town, city, state and federal government agencies
What could you do?
Examples of work you could do in the substance use field:
- Provide counseling
- Outreach to help get people into services
- Case management
- Recovery coaching
- Develop prevention programming
- Develop messaging campaigns
Who could you work with?
Examples of who you could work with in the substance use field:
- Students
- Parent
- School administrators
- Town boards
- Community and non-profit organizations
- Employers
- People with substance use disorder
- Legislators
- Health care providers
- Marketers
