Yes, You Can Have a Sober College Experience: 4 Ways Colleges and Universities Support Recovery on Campus

When thinking about life as a college student, studying all night, going to football games, falling in love, making lifelong friends and having an all-out great time come to mind.

These thoughts are quickly followed by the stress and anxiety of exams, partying all hours and imbibing copious amounts of alcohol, probable exposure to marijuana and other drugs and friendly wagers placed on college and professional athletic events. For this reason, many young people in recovery for substance misuse think twice about applying to the college or university of their dreams or dismiss the idea of “going away to college” entirely.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism quotes a 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) that says approximately 15% of full-time college students between the ages of 18 and 22 meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD)—the clinical term for alcoholism.

Traditionally, colleges and universities lived in denial that substance misuse disorder (SUD) and addiction were issues, choosing to believe that while there were a few students per year who showed signs of “problem” behavior, it was not prevalent on their campuses.

These days, higher education across the nation is taking off its “not-on-our-campus” blinders. With the increased focus on student mental health in the United States, some colleges are pivoting from stigmatizing AUD and SUD to providing resources that support students on their recovery journey.

What is a collegiate recovery program?

More of today’s college campuses are establishing collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) as a proactive means of helping students maintain an abstinence-based lifestyle while they pursue their degrees. CRPs vary from campus to campus, but offerings include fellowship and community support, mental health counseling, safe spaces, recovery housing, 12-step meetings, recovery coaching, substance-free events and more. They create an environment free from alcohol and substances allowing students to thrive socially and academically.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration cites evidence that students who benefit from CRPs sustain abstinence, raise their GPAs, are more likely to graduate and tend to become allies for other students, helping reduce the stigma of addiction while increasing awareness and empathy.

Sacred Heart University’s CRP focuses on creating a safe and supportive educational environment where students in recovery from substance use disorders can grow to be the best versions of themselves. The University is actively growing the program, but it currently includes recovery housing, on-campus meetings, fellowship and community events, recovery coaches and counselors.

On-campus Meetings

Recovery meetings held on college campuses include 12-step, peer-support and meetings led by mental health counselors. SHU holds three recovery meetings on campus each week, open to any member of the community.

Sacred Heart has established a partnership with Move to Heal, an organization dedicated to promoting mental and physical health by combining exercise classes with a group discussion section based on a weekly topic. Classes at SHU will be open to all students, faculty and staff.

Recovery Housing

Recovery housing creates a safe, substance-free environment where students in recovery are free from exposure to alcohol and other substances within their collegiate home. Students in recovery housing commit to an abstinence-based lifestyle, with additional services and community building.

Sacred Heart currently offers housing for men in recovery, with plans for a women’s recovery house in fall 2024. Services residents receive include a 24-hour in-house manager, a recovery coach, weekly drug and daily breathalyzer tests, weekly house meetings with a clinical therapist and weekend activities.

Certified Recovery Coaches

Recovery can be a difficult journey full of detours, speed bumps and obstacles. Recovery coaches give their clients the tools required to help navigate successfully. They help create action plans, provide accountability and support, connect clients with resources and help negotiate the medical system.

Brian Dolan, the director of Sacred Heart’s CRP, is a certified recovery coach dedicated to every student in the program. As the program grows, SHU will bring on and train more certified coaches.

Recovery Communities

Fellowship and community—a sense of belonging—are essential to not only sustaining recovery, but also to the college experience. It’s about finding your people. Students will, of course, make friends outside of the recovery community, but the relationships they build within will help bolster them mentally, socially and academically.

Ski trips, hiking, paintball and sporting events are just some of the organized activities student participants in Sacred Heart’s CRP will enjoy during their weekends.

While the number of collegiate recovery programs on campuses is growing, the pace remains slow. For students in recovery, a CRP can mean living the college experience of their dreams.

For more information about Sacred Heart’s Collegiate recovery program, email Brian Dolan at dolanb3@sacredheart.edu or visit www.sacredheart.edu/recovery.

Photo: Colleen Delaney, co-founder of Move to Heal, and Cameron Bakhtiar, Move to Heal advisory board member, host the first class at Bergoglio Hall's Crossfit gym.