Drug and alcohol workers help people tackle their drug, alcohol or solvent misuse problems.
£17,000 Starter
to£40,000 Experienced
30 to 32 a week
on call at short notice
You can get into this job through:
You could apply directly to become a drug and alcohol worker. There are no formal entry requirements. You could give you an advantage if you've got personal experience of addiction or dependency.
You may come into this work from a variety of backgrounds, like nursing, criminal justice, social care, youth work or counselling. For example, you may have dealt with drug or alcohol-dependent patients as a nurse, or worked in the probation service, dealing with offenders after their release.
You can enter this profession as a support worker with few qualifications, providing you have enough experience. There are some introductory courses in substance misuse which may be available at local colleges.
You can find out more about becoming a drug and alcohol worker from:
You'll need:
You'll need to:
Your day-to-day duties might include:
You could work at a health centre, at a school, in the community or in a prison.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.