I'm a recovering alcoholic and drug user. There is a very specific approach with AA and other similar 12-step or recovery paths that implore connection with and helping fellow alcoholics.
I was a paramedic for about a decade but am transitioning my career into alcohol and drug addiction treatment and counseling. As far as job retention and the economy goes, looking ahead, therapy and counseling is something AI might reasonably be capable of even now, but when it comes to sitting down one alcoholic to another and connecting... Understanding and sharing in the struggles and realizing you aren't alone and there is hope. That's something that I think will always be relevant and valued. And if the world is in for a restructuring like I suspect it will be, that's a service I believe will be needed. Not the reason I am looking into pursuing it as a career, but the idea crossed my mind.
Conditions and experiences uniquely human, like addiction and recovery, is something that I don't see going away. At least, parts of it... That deep shared experience of struggle and hope only a fellow addict can offer...
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