UT Fosters Hope for Students Recovering from Addiction

UT Fosters Hope for Students Recovering from Addiction

       The perceived failure associated with drug addiction jeopardizes the successful recovery of UT students who are struggling to overcome dependency, said the Director of the University of Texas Center for Students in Recovery.

      The bias surrounding addiction isolates those who are suffering from substance dependency from the network of support they need to maintain their sobriety. The University of Texas should promote a respectful and empathetic approach to students who are in recovery, said Ivana Grahovac, Director of the Center for Students in Recovery.

      “Society portrays addicts and alcoholics as the absolute bottom of the barrel,” but “They will be amazed at their positivity, the strength, and the resilience,” Grahovac said.

      College drug abuse may not be a new issue facing universities, but its consequences remain severe and can result in addiction, overdose, and potentially death. As more students face their addictions, the need for university recovery programs is growing.

      “Historically, drug use among college students seems to be a rite of passage and that is unfortunate. I can say with current existing recovery programs like the Center for Students in Recovery, a solution can now be found on campus,” said Joseph Sanchez, President of the Recovery Alliance of Austin.

      The UT student body perceived 75 percent of UT students to be users of illicit drugs, however, only 8 percent of students reported the actual use of these narcotics, according to the 2010 National Collegiate Health Assessment conducted at the University of Texas. It is evident there were fewer UT students using drugs than originally perceived, but drug abuse among college students is still prevalent concern facing university administration.

      In 2012, 8.5 percent of people ages 12 and over were diagnosed with substance dependence. In addition, the percentage of illicit drug users between the ages of 30 and 65 increased from 2011 to 2012, according to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.  

     

      These statistics reflect the risk of an increase in long-term addictions if universities fail to provide recovery programs for their students. Experimenting with various drugs during college can evolve into a lifetime of addiction, and can affect individuals of any background. Resources like CSR serve to recognize the issue of drug abuse as a reality that must be accepted, as well as provide those students who are in recovery with a positive community of support.

      Three years ago, there were only 13 universities that offered recovery programs for their students and today there are approximately 70, Grahovac said. Despite the progress that has been made so far, 70 is a small number in comparison to the four thousand universities located throughout the United States.

      “It is not a treatment for a clinical program, but a support service… It’s a new way of living and it requires a lot of support and empathy,” Grahovac said.

      This support is necessary for a successful recovery because these students face physical obstacles of addiction as well as social obstacles of prejudice and rejection.

      “Due to the stigma and bad press that people in recovery get around drug addiction there is huge fear of being type-casted, so to speak, as a ‘bad’ person,” Sanchez said.

      Those who are living in long-term recovery should voice their story and promote the breakdown of stigmas surrounding addiction, said Sanchez. He hopes their success will encourage others to seek help for themselves or their friends, and prevent young-adults from developing serious conditions because they were afraid to ask for help. The UT recovery center advises students and staff to become educated about drug abuse to help prevent future addictions.

“I had a friend who checked himself into rehab a few months ago. He isn’t attending college anymore, and I’m not sure how he is doing…I think with some help and continued guidance, the ending of this story would have been much different,” said UT senior, Amanda McCoy, who’s friend left UT to get treatment for heroin addiction.

There are several cases of student-drug involvement that mirror the conditions McCoy described, but a majority of situations could have been prevented had someone recognized the signs of addiction and sought help immediately. Students should support their peers and encourage them to view their struggles as lessons for personal development.

“Because of the recovery, you haven’t lost anything, but you are achieving from a much higher paradigm,” Grahovac said.

Students who are recovering from addiction are prevented from successfully acclimating to a life of recovery by those prejudices that focus on the failure of their addiction instead of the achievement of their recovery.

                        “It’s a perception that can change, but with much effort.  We must de-glamorize                                     the negativity around addiction and start focusing on the obtainable solution,                                     recovery,” Sanchez said.