Drug and Alcohol Assessment: What to Expect
Drug and alcohol assessments help evaluate drug or alcohol misuse. They determine whether you’ve used drugs or alcohol over a certain period of time, and if you have a substance abuse problem. Sometimes drug and alcohol evaluations are required by prospective employers, other times they’re mandated by the court after a DUI or other unlawful act involving drugs or alcohol. Attorneys will sometimes use drug and alcohol assessments with claimants or defendants to support a case. Addiction treatment centers may use drug and alcohol evaluations to help determine what level of care you need. Drug or alcohol assessments help determine: What Is a Drug and Alcohol Assessment Like? A drug or alcohol assessment generally takes between 60 to 90 minutes. A certified addiction specialist will walk you through each step. The process typically includes: The screening determines if there is a problem, while the assessment evaluates the depth of the problem. Some substance abuse screenings include a mental health assessment to determine if you have co-occurring mental health disorders. Questions asked during a substance abuse screening and assessment revolve around: After the screening and assessment, a follow-up screening or a structured addiction treatment program may be recommended. Your screener may make a referral to appropriate services. Types of Questions at a Drug and Alcohol Assessment Questionnaires are a type of substance abuse screening tool. Drug and alcohol assessments include questions around your substance use patterns to determine a potential substance use disorder. Different variations of substance abuse screenings include: The screening part of the process is not the same as an assessment. Screening for drug and alcohol use is one of many tools that is used to assess whether an assessment is necessary. Examples of some substance abuse questions you may be asked: Drug or Alcohol Assessment The drug or alcohol assessment process is more than screening questions. It’s a way to further diagnose and assess the results of the screening. These results are then used to create follow-up steps if the results show you could have a drug or alcohol use disorder. Assessments evaluate: What Are Court-Ordered Drug and Alcohol Assessments Like? A court-ordered evaluation for substance use is sometimes ordered by law enforcement for unlawful acts like driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs or being in possession of an illegal substance. A social worker investigating a child’s home environment may also recommend a parent’s evaluation to the court. A drug or alcohol assessment mandated by the court is used to determine whether there’s a substance use problem. Courts may order a drug and alcohol assessment to: Following a court-ordered drug or alcohol abuse evaluation, at least one of the following may be mandated: What Do You Need For a Drug and Alcohol Assessment? Whether you’re having a drug and alcohol evaluation for personal purposes, or due to a court mandate, you’ll need to bring certain documents. Depending on your location, these may include: Be sure to check the requirements in your state before you go to your appointment. You’ll be interviewed by an addiction specialist. They’ll conduct an in-depth review of your drug or alcohol abuse history. Then, they’ll evaluate the documents you brought. What Happens After a Drug or Alcohol Assessment? If a drug and alcohol assessment determines you have a substance use disorder, what happens next depends on your situation. If a prospective employer required it, they have the right to withdraw the job offer if they made their substance abuse policy clear. A current employer will refer you to their policy on substance abuse and work performance and any actions will follow that policy. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protects leaves from work due to medical issues. If you work for a company of 50 or more employees, you should be able to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for medical reasons. If the drug and alcohol evaluation was court-ordered, the judge may require you enter a treatment facility for a certain amount of time or receive outpatient treatment for addiction. In family court cases, it may impact child custody agreements. Use of Drug and Alcohol Assessments in Addiction Treatment An alcohol and drug treatment facility may use substance abuse assessments to evaluate the severity of your addiction and help guide your treatment plan. For instance, at Footprints to Recovery, we use assessments to help determine the appropriate level of care as well as the types of therapies and approaches we use. Substance abuse assessments paired with physical exams can also help us determine if you’re likely to experience withdrawal symptoms. If so, you’ll require alcohol or drug detox. If our assessment indicates co-occurring mental health conditions, psychiatric care will be a component of treatment. We Can Help A drug and alcohol assessment can be the first step in helping you identify destructive behaviors and patterns. The next step is getting better. At Footprints to Recovery, you’ll develop skills that will help you long after you’ve walked out our doors. Following your drug or alcohol assessment, we’ll create a treatment plan that considers your individual needs, issues, and preferences. We use a variety of evidence-based therapies with a focus on overall well-being and relapse prevention. Our approach to drug and alcohol treatment is straightforward: we listen to your needs and meet you where you’re at. Every recovering client has a story and background that’s unique to them. From one-on-one sessions to group or family therapy, we work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan. You may be struggling now, but know that life is better in recovery. Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation. References
