Addiction therapist: a transient status passage in drug rehabilitation.

The occupations of the first 20 long-term residents in a drug-free therapeutic community are described before admission and during a 2 to 4 year follow-up period. Prior to admission, 11 individuals (55%) were unemployed. At the time of the follow-up, 19 individuals (95%) were either in full-time employment or students, of whom two (10%) were addiction therapists. Five individuals (25%) had been addiction therapists at some time, of whom three had gone on to become full-time students. It is concluded that long-term residence in a therapeutic community is associated with a variety of subsequent occupations and that continued dependence on the community for employment is unusual.