Tiffany Brown was on the campus of Texas Tech University after it implemented the nation’s first Collegiate Recovery Program.@@http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/csa/collegiate_recovery.php@@ Through the program, Brown, now a family counselor and instructor at the University of Oregon, met a student enrolled for past self-harm. According to Brown, the student was newly recovering from self-harm issues and was uncertain of whether she could sustain recovery on campus. That student graduated successfully and later became a nurse practitioner and mother. Brown attributes her success to Texas Tech’s program. @@https://education.uoregon.edu/users/tiffany-brown@@
“Those are the stories I see time and time again with campuses that have programs like this,” Brown said.
However, despite the large number of students on the UO campus who are recovering from problems ranging from alcoholism to self-harm issues, there is not yet a program such as the one Brown was involved in at Texas Tech. While many universities have adopted similar programs, there are none in action on the West Coast. According to UO data, an estimated 7,661 students likely meet the criteria for substance abuse or dependence, and the UO’s freshmen and transfer students are above the national average for high-risk drinkers. While the UO offers programs like the alcohol abuse class BASICS for identifying and intervening with addiction issues, according to Brown, there is no program targeted at supporting recovering students. @@http://counseling.uoregon.edu/dnn/SelfhelpResources/SubstanceAbuse/TheBASICSProgram/tabid/426/Default.aspx@@
“A common problem is addiction and recovery,” she said. “Yet to date, we haven’t had active programs on campus that acknowledge recovery.”
Since 2010, Brown has been working to establish a collegiate recovery program to support students recovering from eating disorders, self-harm and various addictions, including alcoholism, at the UO. While the program is still in the process of being fully implemented, Brown has been working with other UO departments since June to secure funding and a space for students to hold recovery meetings. According to Brown, the program could be implemented as soon as a space is secured for recovery meetings, though she hopes to eventually raise the funding for a full staff and a scholarship program.
Because recovering students are at high risk of relapse due to college culture’s emphasis on alcohol and parties, as well as a high-stress atmosphere, Brown said it is important to for them to establish a community and support.
“The message becomes that recovery is possible … and there’s a large group of students in recovery,” Brown said. “It makes it easier to step away from peers who are actively using.”