Substance use disorders are complicated. Meaning: a person is not born an alcoholic or drug addict. Rather they develop the disease, typically influenced by five key risk factors, one of which is early use. The other four include: genetics, social environment, mental illness and childhood trauma. Often, early use (early misuse) begins in middle school, high school or college. Because of the strong influences of brain developmental processes occurring at the time, coupled with the presence of the other four key risk factors (genetics, social environment, mental illness and childhood trauma), addiction typically occurs at an early age, yet it’s often difficult to find substance abuse recovery alternatives on college campuses. Thanks to today’s guest author, David Greenspan, readers concerned about their own, a friend or a child’s recovery during the college years can find help.

David Greenspan is a writer and media specialist at Lighthouse Recovery Institute. He’s been in recovery since 2008 and has published poetry and fiction widely. David can be reached by email at dgreenspan88@gmail.com.

Sober in College? Yeah Right

In the world of higher education, emphasis certainly on higher, sobriety is often a rare find. This is true of the culture surrounding universities, the various housing options, the “recreational” activities, and the students themselves.

So, I take pride in uttering the phrase “I was a sober college student.” While my college sobriety was hard won, there are an increasingly large number of resources for students seeking an alternative to the Animal House and Van Wilder college experience.

I Was a Sober College Student

My story of addiction and recovery isn’t that different from thousands of others. From as far back as I can remember, I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. I found a solution to that gut level discomfort in drugs and alcohol. After a period of time, the consequences of being drunk and high outweighed the positives. I went to treatment, suffered a few relapses, and got sober.

That’s a pretty typical addiction and recovery narrative, right? Where my story differs from the many other addiction stories, if it does differ at all, is that after getting sober, I immediately went back to school.

I barely graduated high school. After pulling off that miracle, I spent a drunken and hazy year at a state university in New York. Actually, it’d be more accurate to say I spent some time at the university. Most of my time was spent running the streets of New York City.

When my parents finally saw my grades, I joked that instead of D’s and F’s, I should have gotten H’s due to my heroin addiction. It was a moment of gallows humor. Needless to say, my parents weren’t amused and insisted I go to treatment right away.

So I did. After treatment, I relapsed. After relapsing, I went to another rehab. After that rehab, I went back to school.

I started at a small Florida community college. I was living in a halfway house and didn’t even have a car. My roommates would drive me to class in the morning and pick me up when they got out of work.

Despite being in early-sobriety, I didn’t find going to school too stressful or triggering. I was simply a sober student. My peers would stumble into class Monday morning hung over and boasting about who’d won beer pong. I’d walk into class and talk about what movie I’d seen or Sunday night football.

After two years at community college, and two years of sobriety, I transferred to a state university. That’s where I found many of the recovery resources listed below.

Recovery Resources Available to Students

Sober/Dry Dorms
This is probably the most well known resource for sober students. A sober dorm is any dorm which doesn’t allow students to drink or keep alcohol on the premise.

This also applies to drugs, although, in theory, most dorms are drug free because, surprise, drugs are illegal.

The Counseling Center
Most, if not all, colleges have a counseling center. This is a place students can go to see a therapist or psychiatrist. The best part is the fee is included in tuition. If medication is needed, it can be prescribed, and sometimes dispensed, at a discount.

Counseling centers often have ties to various student organizations and local support systems (think twelve-step fellowships or SMART Recovery).

Student Organizations & Clubs
There are a ton of student organizations that don’t revolve around shot-gunning beers or smoking a certain leafy green substance. It’s shocking, I know. I’ve found many clubs, from the chess club to the drama club to the local Mario Kart Appreciation Society, are substance free.

Then there are student organizations which are specifically centered around sobriety. I’m not sure all colleges have these, but if you live in an area with a large recovery community, it’s a good bet they have a student club.

Private Therapy
If, for whatever reason, the above options don’t work for year, fear not! There’s such a thing as private therapy.

Although this is often pricey, it’s money well spent. After all, would you rather waste $5,000 over the course of a semester on drugs and booze or spend that money on something that can help you stay sober, offer insight into your life, and help you grow as a person?

The choice is yours.

Twelve-Step Fellowships
Twelve-step fellowships are the oldest form of “addiction treatment” around. They offer, as the name implies, fellowship, support, and a spiritual solution to substance abuse. While this spiritual approach isn’t for everyone, it has helped millions.

Much like student organizations dedicated to recovery, twelve-step fellowships may not be an option depending on where you go to school. I’ve heard of rural areas where people drive for an hour to get to a twelve-step meeting. Hopefully, that’s just a recovery rumor and nothing more!

Outpatient Treatment Centers
Outpatient treatment centers offer the quality and insight of a residential rehab without the time commitment. In fact, the draw of many outpatient programs is their flexibility. They facilitate recovery for those who can’t, or won’t, take time away from work, school, or family.

A typical outpatient program offers groups several times a week, as well as a one-on-one session with a primary therapist.