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Recovery in the News
House helps students recovery from addiction
Deirdre S. Hopton
The Daily Targum
February 9, 2009
College can be especially tough for students recovering from a substance abuse addiction, but they can find help through the Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program, which began interviewing students for entrance for the fall semester into the Rutgers Recovery House.
The University’s Recovery House is a residence hall for students who are recovering from addiction on campus with counselors available to provide mentoring. Potential Recovery House residents must demonstrate they have been sober for several months and are willing to maintain sobriety indefinitely, according to their Web site.
“The Recovery House is for students who are already in recovery, have already been to meetings and support groups, and need support to stick with their recovery in college,” said Director of the Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program Lisa Laitman.
Many first-year student residence halls have a ban on alcohol and drugs, but the Recovery House provides more than that. It is a unique program that is not for everybody, she said.
“Nobody is telling these students not to drink or use drugs; it’s their choice. These students have already gone through an awful lot in order to get here,” Laitman said.
She said the 22 students residing in the Recovery House are very active.
“They have a student advisory board and they corroborate with the staff to ensure everything is going well,” she said. “This isn’t something parents decide, it’s something the students decide.”
The program is strictly confidential and anonymous, and the supportive community offers features such as a smoke-free environment, monthly house meetings and academic support and counseling, according to the Web site.
“By having recovering addicts live together, they can have people to identify with and have constant reinforcement,” said School of Arts and Sciences junior Kristoffer Elfante. “For situations and events like withdrawal, depression and any form of recovery, it’s always nice to know you’re not alone.”
Students with addiction issues are definitely not alone. The use and abuse of alcohol and drugs is all too prevalent on college campuses, and the phenomenon is on the rise, according to a 2007 survey conducted by USA Today.
About 22.9 percent of students meet the medical criteria to be defined as addicts or chemical dependents, as opposed to only 8.5 percent of all people aged 12 or older in a non-college setting, according to the survey.
“College is a distortion of the real world [where] the party scene is highly stressed. It can be a very un-nurturing environment for non-drinkers and smokers,” said School of Arts and Sciences sophomore Kelly Sanders. “I can’t imagine the extent of the urges, cravings, and battles a recoveree must have to fight through to succeed in college.”
The University was the first to offer a program like the Recovery House in 1988. The list of colleges and high schools helping students in recovery, called the Association of Recovery Schools, has grown since then and can be found on their Web site www.recoveryschools.org, Laitman said.
In order to request a spot in the Recovery House, students should request special interest housing when filling out their housing forms or call Lisa Laitman in the Hurtado Health Center at (732) 932-7402, ext. 233/232.
Any student struggling with addiction should call the director of alcohol and other drug assistance program for students at the Hurtado Health Center. Their number is (732) 932-7976 ext. 233.