Recovery House

Creating Intentional Collegiate Recovery Communities Expanding Our Role in Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery Services Jes Sellers, Ph.D. Director, University Counseling Services & Center for Collegiate Behavioral Health Joy G. Willmott, LISW, LICDC Clinical Counselor for Substance Abuse Assessment, Intervention & Recovery Services University Counseling Services & Center for Collegiate Behavioral Health

The Challenge for Higher Education Compelling Stories from college counseling center professionals & university administrators

Justin A first year student from the east coast, Justin is the youngest of two children of a single parent home. His mother frequently traveled as part of her career. He started drinking alcohol at the age of 12 (7 th grade) and started marijuana at the age of 13 (8th grade). His use of both began to escalate from weekends to weekends and some week days. By 10th grade he drank and got high on a regular basis. As a first year student, Justin lives in the residence halls. He befriends the upperclass students and finds a way to regularly get high or drunk. During the Fall semester, Justin is found intoxicated and passed-out in the dorm. He is transported to University Hospital for alcohol poisoning and released. He attends most of his classes and turns-in his homework assignments on time.

What would you do? How should a university administrator respond? What should a university counseling center professional do? What should his mother do?

The Challenge for Higher Education Compelling Stories continued Amanda A 24 year old, second year law student living alone in an apartment near campus is at risk for failing two courses. She is not particularly close with her classmates but she does join the “Bar Review” party nights and drinks heavily. She has gotten a reputation among her classmates as a “hard drinker” who becomes belligerent when she drinks. She comes to the attention of the Dean of Students who has encouraged her to withdraw from the before the end of the semester in order to protect her from being academically separated. She comes to the counseling center, visibly shaking and in distress. She participates in a full assessment and reluctantly agrees to go to an in-patient treatment (and medically-supervised detox) program. She appeals to the Law School to return to classes in the subsequent semester. After treatment, she returns to live in her apartment. She convinces the Dean that she is on the road to getting better and that she is ready to return to a full-time classes.

What would you do as a law school dean? What information would you need to consider her appeal? What role should a university counseling center professional play in this scenario?

Challenge for Higher Education Compelling Stories continued Chris Chris is a 19 year old high school student from an alternative school in Minnesota called “Step-up High”. At the age of 13, Chris took his ‘sip’ of beer and by the age of 15 he was drinking heavily, smoking pot and taking pain killers. During this time he left high school and ran away from home, living on the streets of Minneapolis. At the age of 17 he wanted to kill himself. After passing-out in a grocery store, Chris was taken to a local hospital and was given the choice a treatment program for teenagers and chose recovery. After one month of intensive treatment, he agreed to enter Step-Up High School. With the help of his program, a high school counselor & his teachers, Chris began to develop hopes for going to college. He is applying to your university yet is uncertain of the support system he feels he needs to maintain his sobriety and to do well academically.

Should Chris disclose to admissions that he is in recovery? What support services might Chris need from a university? Can Chris be expected to ‘blend-in’ and be like any other student? Where can he reside to help him reduce the risk of relapse?

The Challenge for Higher Education

• About 4 out of 5 college students drink alcohol & half who consume alcohol, binge drink • Each year, drinking affects college students, communities, and families. The consequences of drinking include: • Death: 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries • Assault: More than 690,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking • Sexual Abuse: More than 97,000 college students ages 18 - 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.

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Injury: 599,000 students receive unintentional injuries while under the influence of alcohol.

The Challenge for Higher Education NIAAA Studies continued

• Academic Problems: About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall. • Health Problems/Suicide Attempts: More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use. • Drunk Driving: 2.8 million students between the ages of 18 and 24 reported driving under the influence of alcohol. • 6% of college students meet criteria for alcohol dependence • 31% meet criteria for alcohol abuse

The Challenge for Higher Education Public Health Studies (continued) Marijuana: • Nationally, 47% of college age people have used marijuana in the past year • 20% have used in the last month • 4% use it on daily basis • 1993 – 2001 prevalence of past 30-day marijuana use rose from 12.9% to 17% • Marijuana is the second most frequent drug used by college students. Approximately 46.9% of college students surveyed in 2006 reported using marijuana during their lifetime. • Marijuana use was higher among those who binge drink, smoke cigarettes and/or have multiple sexual partners. Marijuana use was highest at colleges in the Northeast and lowest in Southern colleges. It was also highest at colleges considered to be “very competitive,” and lowest at those considered “not competitive.”

The Challenge for Higher Education Public Health Studies (continued) Prescription Medication Misuse • 7% - 16% of college students have used prescription stimulants non-medically; 4% within the past year (McCabe, UMSA Research Center 2005; Hall, Irwin Bowman et al 2005)

The Challenge for Higher Education Secondary Effects of College Student Drug Abuse • Academic performance – – – –

Retention problems Academic separation Student conduct dismissals Academic integrity violations

• Violence, injury & death – – – – – – – –

Property Theft Personal assault Sexual assault Riots Accidental injury Accidental death Suicide

The Challenge for Higher Education Even prospective college students are at risk. “Adolescent substance abuse is a major national public health problem. The younger an individual is at the onset of substance use, the greater the likelihood that a substance use disorder will develop and continue into adulthood.” Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy 2002

• 23% of eighth graders report being drunk at least once • 39% of tenth graders report current alcohol use

Recovery High Schools Association of Recovery Schools 28 or more alternative High Schools 17 Universities/Colleges http://www.recoveryschools.org

Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE) Promotes Collegiate Recovery Programs from across the nation and is committed to providing support for collegiate students in recovery from a addictive disorders. http://collegiaterecovery.org/

Current Approaches to Chemical Dependent College Students • Counseling: Professional Individual and Group Counseling Motivational Interviewing Referrals to Community Services Substance Abuse Assessments Voluntary or Required • Peer Helper Intervention & Heath Promotion Programs • Student Conduct Approaches Educational Approaches Sanctions Parental Notification Fines Suspension or Separation • Community/Environmental Health Promotion Programs Substance-free Housing Community Coalitions

Creating Intentional Recovery Communities Advantages of a Recovery Community 0n Campus • Promotes recovery from addiction • Reduces risk of relapse 80% *Statistics provided by Sobriety High, Step Up - Augsburg College and Texas Tech University

• Improved retention of students at risk • Provides social and emotional support

Programs and Services • Self-help meetings on campus – AA, NA, Smart Recovery, Family Programs, etc.

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Individual & Group Counseling Educational Support Academic Courses Advocacy with Administrators & Faculty

Recovery House at Case - Good Morning America May 2005 • Housing for up to 6 students, male & female • Applicants must be in recovery from substance abuse and must submit documentation of substance abuse treatment • Housing Contract & fees set by Housing & Residence Life • Applications on line at www.case.edu Keywords: Recovery House or http://students.case.edu/counseling/recovery/recoveryhouse/ • Residents must be enrolled students of Case, Cleveland Institute of Music or Art, undergraduate or graduate/professional • Residents complete a Recovery House Treatment Plan with a substance abuse specialist at University Counseling Service

Recovery House Graduate Assistant Graduate Student Coordinator Live-in graduate student with interest in recovery

Supported by Housing & Residence Life University Counseling Services

‘Boomer’ our Recovery House Dog Recovery House residents can include the care of Boomer in their treatment plan

Creating a Recovery House: how to get started Build a University Coalition: sample from Case Housing & Residence Life/Greek Life Faculty from Social Work, Nursing, Psychology Disability Services Asst. VP Student Affairs Office of Development & Alumni Affairs Include Community Participants Cleveland Psychoanalytic Center Recovery-minded professionals in the community Form a Recovery House Advisory Board Review applications Support the Graduate Resident Advisor Consider complaints & violations of rules Respond to relapse Search for Development/Grants/Alumni Contributions Opportunities

Prevention & Recovery Services of Case

Expanding the continuum of care on campus Education, Intervention, Assessment, Recovery Treatment Services & Recovery Housing Educating the Campus Community Learning from the Greater Cleveland Community Celebrating Recovery on and off campus