From Addiction to Freedom and Self-Sufficiency

By: Arthur Kleinschmidt, Senior Advisor, SAMHSA

People with a substance use disorder must sometimes overcome significant barriers to finding meaningful employment, making them a priority population for identifying lessons from the field to help such individuals get and keep work. For many people hoping to move from active substance use into recovery, financial, social, and health-related barriers can seem daunting. For clients of a treatment provider in New Orleans, a suite of services delivered by a skilled staff helps hundreds of people navigate their way to a healthy, productive life – including progress toward employment and self-sufficiency.