Substance Abuse Evaluation

The Substance Abuse Evaluation Process

A substance abuse evaluation is used to assess someone’s drug and alcohol use. This evaluation can be completed online before meeting with the certified substance abuse counselor. It may be required that you have a drug and alcohol screening. Typically, the evaluation is court ordered once a crime has been committed, like drinking and driving.

Questionnaire

The questionnaire will ask questions regarding your drug and alcohol use history. You will be asked if your finances, employment, and/or relationships have been affected by substance abuse. The questionnaire can help the counselor find the underlying reason for your drug or alcohol abuse, such as anxiety or depression.

The Interview

If you are required to have a substance abuse evaluation done by a court of law, you will need to have your court documentation for your interview. This includes your criminal history report, any arrest documents, and, if your evaluation is because of a DUI, a seven-year motor vehicle report.

At the interview, you will be questioned about the information asked in the questionnaire. The counselor will ask any other questions they may have about your drug and alcohol use. Though this may be uncomfortable, be truthful with your answers. This process is to provide help for you, not to embarrass you.

The certified counselor will also ask you to provide contact information for others that may be questioned about your substance abuse. You will need to provide their full name, all their contact info, and a good time to reach them. Though it can be uncomfortable knowing that others are being asked about your substance abuse, it is to further benefit you. Interviewing others may help you get the assistance you need.

Screening

The counselor may require you to provide a urine sample to test for drugs in your system. During the screening process, be honest if you have recently used alcohol or drugs, and let them know if you are on any prescription medications. The drug and alcohol screening will greatly influence the recommendations the counselor makes to the court.

Recommendations

Once the certified counselor has all the documents and interviews done, they will go before the court and make recommendations on your treatment. There are three categories the certified counselor may place you in:

1. Drug or alcohol dependent: if the counselor determines you are chemically dependent on drugs or alcohol, the court will require you to attend a rehabilitation center. You may be required to attend between eight months and two years.
2. Suffering from abuse of drugs or alcohol: if the counselor believes you are abusing alcohol or drugs, or if your usage is leading you towards addiction, the court will mandate you to attend counseling. Counseling is typically mandated by the court for 6 to 12 months.
3. Not enough evidence: if the counselor doesn’t have enough evidence to diagnose one of the above categories, the court will send you to a drug and alcohol school. This usually only lasts one day and teaches you the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.

If you are required to have a substance abuse evaluation, remember to be honest throughout the entire process. The evaluation is to help you, not to hurt you.

Tags: Treatment Centers