DU is getting real about substance abuse among students.
In a move to provide more support for students recovering from substance-use disorders, the University opened a Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) at the start of fall quarter. The new center, located at 1931 S. York St., serves as a home base for students in recovery and members of the DU community whose lives have been impacted by addiction.
The CRC — an outreach of DU’s Health and Counseling Center — is not an addiction treatment center, but rather a place for the DU community to celebrate recovery and honor the stories of those who have been impacted by addiction. The goal of the program is to provide support, prevent relapse and promote academic performance. Students will be able to engage with and seek support from others fighting the same battles; they also will have access to supportive faculty and staff members on campus.
“Alcohol and other drug use is not a new issue on college campuses, and neither is recovery,” says CRC coordinator Dylan Dunn. “Knowing the prevalence of alcohol and other drug use on college campuses — and understanding the severity of the opioid crisis nationally and in Colorado — conversations began for the need for services for those in recovery from a disordered relationship with alcohol and other drugs. This reality hit home last year with the loss of one of our own students to an overdose.”
According to one study, students who are active in collegiate recovery programs have higher rates of retention and graduation and higher GPAs than the average student at their institution, and 92 percent of students involved in a CRC maintain their recovery.
DU’s CRC will offer a community lounge, alcohol- and drug-free social events, support meetings, peer mentoring, and educational seminars and events. The services are intended to create a community where students in recovery are supported in their unique needs and are fully included in the campus community. Additionally, the Health and Counseling Center will partner with Housing and Residential Education to offer recovery and sober housing for DU students starting in fall 2019.
“Where the collegiate culture at many American institutions allows stigma, shame and avoidance to shape the experiences of these students, we have taken a step forward to communicate to these students — and those who have felt the impact of addiction in other ways — that DU welcomes them and seeks to provide them with the space and community that will empower them to succeed,” Dunn says.
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