Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Did you know that over 20 million Americans are struggling with one or more addictions? Unfortunately, only approximately 10% of these people receive treatment for their addictions.

If you’ve begun your alcohol or drug recovery journey, you’re already on the right track. However, one can’t recover from addiction overnight. It takes a lot of dedication and perseverance.

Are you wondering what you can do? Keep reading to learn all about five reasons attending school can help your addiction recovery.

1. It Can Focus Your Mind on Positive Opportunities

There’s nothing like the prospect of trade careers as a way to adjust your priorities and stay focused on a potentially bright future. The first step toward making your dreams a reality is closing your eyes and envisioning them as clearly as possible.

Do you see yourself as an alcohol and drug counselor? What about a medical assistant or an HVAC technician? No matter what you want to be, just having a goal in mind can give you a reason to get out of bed.

Most people who struggle with addiction see drugs or alcohol as their primary fuel, but there’s good news.  If you are in that situation, you can replace that with a series of education and career-related goals that can lead toward career opportunities. It is undoubtedly helpful to identify the goals, write them down, and break them into manageable chunks. Otherwise, it could be intimidating and discouraging, and you may be afraid to start such a goal.

One way of looking at it is through a mountain analogy. You can see the sheer cliff face and think it’s necessary to climb up to the top from there. However, by going around the mountain, you can see an incline that will get you where you want to go.

You can keep yourself busy positively and distract your mind from residual withdrawals or cravings. While this may not work for everyone, you owe it to yourself to give it an honest try. Much hopelessness is associated with drug use, but training your mind to look forward to a new goal, such as training and/or a new career, may help you see a glimmer of hope.

You could also see it as a light at the end of a dark tunnel. As long as you follow the light, you’ll have a better chance of making it through the tunnel.

2. School Can Give You Real-World Skills

An article on drugabuse.gov points out that many people become addicted to drugs because they want to feel better about the problems in their lives. This is why a fresh start can be so valuable. Going to college, wherever you decide, may help you learn information that will be helpful to your current or future employment.  Education will help you learn new skills and prepare your mind for opportunities.

If you want to consider attending a trade school, you are taught many practical skills that you can apply in your entry-level employment.  The jobs that a trade school can help you prepare for are often in high demand. It’s best to do research ahead of time to see if the career you’re interested in is in demand and if you will have a good chance at finding entry-level employment or not in your area. Once you decide on something that speaks to your heart and mind, you should give it everything you have.  

First, meet with the admissions department to learn as much as you can about the career.  Then, research what you need to do to enter that career by looking at available job opportunities and your area’s pay rates.  Be sure the training you seek will get you where you want to go. 

Not only will a career give you a sense of pride, but, once employed, it can also give you a source of income. Income may help you feel a sense of pride, contentment, and less stress.  The stressors of life can be triggers to drug and alcohol use.  

Aside from the benefit of many trade school careers being in demand, these skills can be taken to other places in California. With that in mind, you can relocate to a different part of our state if you have a hard time and want a fresh start. Being in a new area can add to the wonderful feeling of a clean slate.

3. It Can Give You a Sense of Pride and Worth

Even with good addiction help, you could still harbor negative feelings about yourself. For instance, many recovering addicts feel shame or worthlessness that shouldn’t be there.  

By enrolling in school or finding employment that provides hands-on training, you can feel stronger self-worth. 

A job will give you a feeling of accomplishment.  Attending school is certainly a good option if you want to establish a career or change an existing job. 

Think about celebrating your graduation with friends and family.  Those that love you may have seen you in a dark light one or more times, but it could be a huge source of pride for them when they see you on the graduation stage. You will undoubtedly feel pride when you are successful in your career goals. Of course, that may not be the end of your journey. Many employers require continuing education.  So whether in the workforce or higher education, you may find that this is the start of continued learning somewhere in higher education.

4. It Can Help You Integrate Into Society

Unlike some of the real world, a school is a very structured place. This kind of structure can not only help you stay focused, but it could also work as a great segue into the real world and its expectations.

For instance, you may encounter other students engaging in drug use, whether alcohol or illicit drugs. These may be temptations for you, but staying strong is crucial. If you can do that within a school, that will go a long way toward integrating into society.

However, you must ensure you’re far along in your recovery journey before exposing yourself to a school environment. The last thing you’d want to do is give in at the first sign of another student drinking a glass of vodka, for instance.

5. You Can Pay It Forward

One of the best things about recovering from an addiction is using that character growth to help others through the same things you went through. This is why many ex-drug users apply to Alcohol And Drug Counseling Studies. These types of classes can give you the tools to start down the path of helping others.

Not only will this help give you focus and drive, but it could also add a whole new meaning to your life. Think about the people who have helped you through your recovery. Chances are they’ve had to recover from addictions just like you have.

With that in mind, you can pay it forward by setting an example and using the power of your stories to try and change people’s lives for the better. When you focus on the recovery of others, it could remind you regularly of why you chose the bright path of recovery instead of the dark path of addiction.

If you had a role model in your recovery journey, it could be a good idea to focus on how they conducted themselves. You should ask yourself what strategies they used to touch the hearts of the people in the recovery program. Keeping these things at the forefront of your mind could go a long way toward improving your focus and scholastic performance.

Who knows, perhaps with enough determination, you could even teach as a professor of Alcohol And Drug Counseling down the road. While everything takes a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck, nothing is outside the realm of possibility.

Are You Ready to Enhance Your Addiction Recovery?

Now that you’ve learned all about the five reasons attending school can help your addiction recovery, you can start making plans to apply. While there’s never a guarantee of acceptance, you shouldn’t give up if you receive a rejection. The key is to be determined and focused.

Intercoast offers several helpful degree programs, including ASS Degree Cyber Security, ASS Substance Use Disorder, and ASS Business Administration. We also have a wide range of certificate programs, such as Alcohol And Drug Counseling Studies, HVAC Technician, Business Office Administration, and more.

We’d love to consider your application and determine if you qualify for any of our programs. If you have questions about them, please get in touch with us to get back to you as soon as possible. We’re always happy to help out.