This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 issue of Advances in Addiction & Recovery.
By Cynthia Moreno Tuohy, BSW, NCAC II, CDC III, SAP, NAADAC Executive Director
I am so excited to announce the launch of NAADAC’s new online community, where addiction professionals from across the globe can connect, engage, and learn with fellow peers and NAADAC leadership! The brand new NAADAC Online Community is a virtual platform that allows NAADAC Members to connect and engage with fellow addiction professionals. This interactive community is the perfect place for addiction professionals to connect with colleagues, share ideas and resources, and make global connections.
What Can You Do in the Online Community?
The NAADAC Online Community will bring together addiction professionals in a way we have never been able to connect before. In the Online Community, NAADAC Members can:
• Post messages in community forums and share resources,
• Find and connect with thousands of NAADAC Members in the NAADAC Member Directory,
• Join specialist communities like the Peer Support Specialists Community and the Student and Educators Community,
• Earn badges and ribbons that will show your NAADAC and addiction professional pride,
• Build a profile, just like you may have done on social media platforms,
• And so much more!
What Are People Talking About in the Online Community?
NAADAC's Online Community allows you to network, ask questions, and communicate about shared interests with addiction professionals from across the country and all around the world. Right now, there are dozens of discussions taking place on our virtual platform. Discussion threads range from career motivation and diversity, equity, and inclusion in addiction counseling to cannabis use disorder and COVID-19. Our open forum will give you the opportunity to ask your colleagues questions, share your experiences, and receive information that will help you better serve your clients. Go to community.naadac.org and log in using your NAADAC log-in and password to view the discussions that are taking place right now!
How to Get Started
Go to community.naadac.org and click the blue "Sign In" button on the top right-hand corner. Enter the same login information you use for your NAADAC account. (If you forgot your password, select "Click here to reset your password.") Go to your profile and add your bio, profile picture, job history, and interests to allow your peers to learn more about you and put your contributions into context. Pro tip: You can earn badges for your profile! Enter the year you joined NAADAC, and you may earn a NAADAC loyalty badge! Contribute to the Online Community within the next 60 days by responding to a discussion thread or starting your own discussion, and you can earn the Early Adopter Badge!
Who Can Access the Online Community?
While everyone can access the NAADAC Online Community, ONLY NAADAC Members can read entire conversation threads, start new conversations, message other people on the platform, access the member directory, and fully interact with the online platform. (Not a member? Join NAADAC today so you can start making lasting connections on the NAADAC Online Community!)
Join Us!
I invite and encourage each of you to use this online community to share ideas, provide support and resources, and build connections with your fellow addiction professionals. Each of you contributes so significantly to our vital profession, and I look forward to seeing your contributions to our community. Join me and other leadership on NAADAC’s Online Community! Together, we can, and do, make a difference!
Cynthia Moreno Tuohy, BSW, NCAC II, CDC III, SAP, is the Executive Director of NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, and has worked as an addiction professional for 48 years. She has been a trainer in Domestic Violence/Anger Management and Conflict Resolution for over 30 years as well as an international, national, and state trainer. Moreno Tuohy is also a curriculum writer in addiction screening and evaluation, counseling meth-ods, conflict resolution, co-occurring disorders, ethics, documentation, and medicated assisted treatment and recovery, and has written articles published in national and other trade magazines. Her book, Rein in Your Brain; from Impulsivity to Thoughtful Living in Recovery, was released May 2014 through Hazelden Publishers. She has served as President of NAADAC, Certification Board Commissioner, International Chair, Treasurer and Legislative Chair for NAADAC.