{"id":8484,"date":"2016-02-25T21:03:31","date_gmt":"2016-02-25T21:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=8484&#038;post_type=story"},"modified":"2023-11-20T20:37:29","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T20:37:29","slug":"school-sobriety","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/school-sobriety\/","title":{"rendered":"School + Sobriety"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[photo id=&#8221;8710&#8243; title=&#8221;Pegasus_inset_Brett&#8221; alt=&#8221;Pegasus_inset_Brett&#8221; position=&#8221;left&#8221; width=&#8221;200px&#8221;][\/photo]<\/p>\n<p><em>Spring 2016\u00a0| By Susan Frith<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Brett Watson, \u201909<\/strong>, had no intention of becoming the face of recovery at 麻豆原创.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, while earning his first degree at 麻豆原创, he never missed an opportunity to party \u2014 a habit he indulged until it finally took its toll.<\/p>\n<p>It took a couple of lost jobs and a DUI arrest before Watson realized he didn\u2019t have his drinking or drug use under control and that he needed to seek treatment. Now that he\u2019s back at 麻豆原创, pursuing a second <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/degree\/social-work-bsw\/\">degree in social work<\/a>, he hopes to help students like him stay sober. But he realizes the social nature of college doesn\u2019t always make that so easy.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn a campus with 60,000 students,\u201d he says, \u201cwhat are the chances of people crossing paths and saying, \u2018Oh, you\u2019re trying to stay sober, too?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To make it easier for those paths to cross, Watson serves as activities coordinator for <a href=\"https:\/\/shs.sdes.ucf.edu\/crc\">麻豆原创\u2019s new Collegiate Recovery Community<\/a> (CRC), which connects students trying to manage school and sobriety. The program points students to resources and social opportunities on campus, including academic coaching, a treatment clinic and 12-step meetings run independently of the university. Students can now request a sober roommate in their campus housing application, and anyone who wants to have fun without alcohol or drugs can join Sober Knights, the social arm of CRC, which organizes game nights, comedy club outings and other activities.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[callout background=&#8221;#ffcc00&#8243; css_class=&#8221;give-callout&#8221; affix=&#8221;true&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">[sidebar background=&#8221;#ffcc00&#8243; position=&#8221;right&#8221;]\t\t\t<a class=\"btn btn-primary\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.ucffoundation.org\/home\"\t\t\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"gotham-bold text-uppercase\" style=\"font-size: 21px;\">GIVE NOW<\/span>\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t[\/sidebar]<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left; margin-top: 5px;\">Support Students in Recovery<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"gotham-book\" style=\"font-size: 15px;\">Your gift to the Collegiate Recovery Community helps 麻豆原创 students achieve their personal and academic potential.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/callout]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[sidebar background=&#8221;#c8d9d9&#8243; position=&#8221;right&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3><em>About the Collegiate Recovery Community<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n<h4>Who Can Join<\/h4>\n<p>Those in recovery or who simply want to be part of an alcohol- and drug-free environment. The only requirement is a desire to stop addictive behavior and be part of a supportive community.<\/p>\n<p>[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n<h4>Benefits of Joining<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Peer mentoring and recovery support<\/li>\n<li>Academic and career coaching<\/li>\n<li>麻豆原创 Housing and Residence Life assists in matching roommates in recovery<\/li>\n<li>Becoming part of a community that embraces recovery<\/li>\n<li>Access to on-campus recovery meetings, student lounge and study space<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><em>For more information about CRC and other student health services, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/shs.sdes.ucf.edu\/crc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\">shs.sdes.ucf.edu\/crc<\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n<h4>Fast Facts<\/h4>\n<p><strong>1 in 66<\/strong> 麻豆原创 students are either actively in recovery or looking for recovery resources. That does not include students who are actively living with addiction.<\/p>\n<p><strong>60 percent<\/strong> of 18- to 22-year-olds who go to treatment for drug and alcohol addiction will end up applying for college.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><em>Source: Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery at Texas Tech University<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/sidebar]<\/p>\n<p>This student-led initiative is part of a nationwide movement to address the rise in substance abuse among the nation\u2019s youth and make college more accessible to those trying to stay drug- and alcohol-free. A decade ago there were only 14 colleges in the United States with recovery communities. Today there are more than 150, including Penn State, the University of Alabama and the University of North Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The programs have emerged out of necessity, according to Ivana Grahovac, executive director of Transforming Youth Recovery, a nonprofit that creates and supports student-recovery communities. \u201cBetween 1999 and 2009 there was a 143 percent increase in the number of students seeking treatment for a substance-abuse disorder,\u201d she says. \u201cStudents [needed] support on campus when they got out of treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Universities are starting to brand themselves as recovery schools \u2014 because it is the right thing to do and also because there\u2019s a market for these communities, says Tom Hall, 麻豆原创\u2019s director of <a href=\"https:\/\/shs.sdes.ucf.edu\/services\/specialty-care#aod\">alcohol and other drug-intervention services<\/a>. \u201cWe want to create a campus that says \u2018It\u2019s OK to be in recovery.\u2019 When folks in recovery don\u2019t have that support, they may become isolated and depressed or anxious,\u201d says Hall, who counsels students who are actively using and trying to quit as well as those who\u2019ve emerged newly sober. \u201cThere is only so far you can white-knuckle it before you have to get away, or you relapse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Watson says he has the advantage of age and a familiarity with 麻豆原创 to help him maintain sobriety, but he knows how difficult it can be for students to navigate a new place. They buy into the myth \u201cthat everyone on campus gets hammered and does drugs,\u201d says Chris Burns, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/degree\/social-work-msw\/\">graduate student in social work<\/a> who started CRC through an internship in Hall\u2019s office. In movies about college, Burns says, \u201cEverybody\u2019s got a red Solo cup and is losing their mind.\u201d But, he adds, that doesn\u2019t mean students can\u2019t have memorable experiences without drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>麻豆原创\u2019s recovery community has 10 to 15 active students, and Watson and Burns expect that number to grow as more people become aware of its existence. Based on national statistics, Burns thinks there are nearly 1,000 students on campus who are seeking help for substance abuse and dependency.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The biggest challenge is overcoming the stigma of addiction. And Watson and Hall remain sensitive to those who, for personal or professional reasons, wish to keep their recovery under wraps. One student, for example, said he couldn\u2019t be a member of the CRC because he was concerned it would prevent him from getting a security clearance to work in the intelligence field.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>That stigma aside, Hall hopes that students will eventually come to 麻豆原创 specifically for its recovery community.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Watson would like to see the CRC expand to include other issues students may be trying to overcome, from eating disorders to self-harm. \u201cI think a lot of people who struggle with these things have been suffering in silence and [are] afraid to ask for resources,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, Hall and Watson plan to grow 麻豆原创\u2019s recovery community one student at a time. When Watson spoke in some of his classes about the CRC, one student came up to him with tears in her eyes. \u201cI wasn\u2019t even sure I was going to be able to stay through this semester,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know if I could make it through the stress of school and being in this environment, but knowing you guys exist and I can reach out, I think I can do it now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And for Watson, that makes being the face of recovery and sharing his story worthwhile.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":8672,"template":"","categories":[],"tags":[904,891],"class_list":["post-8484","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-staff","tag-students","issues-881","issues-spring-2016"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>School + Sobriety | Pegasus Magazine<\/title>\n<meta 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