Writer: Provide Dry Housing on College Campuses

In the next few days, students from all over New Jersey will be setting foot on college campuses, some for the first time. For many, college is a time of self-discovery, a time to meet new people and a time, well, to party.

For recovering addicts, where there is a free-flowing keg at every turn, developing a social life in college can be daunting.

Recognizing the issue, Rutgers University and William Paterson University have introduced “recovery housing” for students dealing with addiction to alcohol and drugs.

Such housing is much like a regular campus dorm, except for the fact that students are in recovery and live together to support each other. At Rutgers, recovering addicts who have been residents themselves for a year serve as resident assistants, hired by the Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program, (ADAP) part of the Rutgers Department of Counseling and Health Services. William Paterson University employs a full-time licensed hall director to live in the dorm.

Both universities are part of the Association of Recovery Schools (ARS)—a group of 40 colleges and high schools nationwide that support programs at high schools and colleges which are designed to support students along the path of recovery.

Within ARS, many of the member college programs assist students on their campuses by providing early intervention initiatives. Some of those students will be referred to outpatient treatment centers and detox centers, such as Sunrise Detox in Stirling.

Every college and university in New Jersey should be affiliated with this Association. Moreover, each school that offers student housing should follow the path of Rutgers and William Paterson and dedicate space for students—addicts or not—who don’t want to deal with the distractions of alcohol or drugs.

This would go a long way towards providing a healthy and supportive environment for students recovering from addiction. It would also send a message that New Jersey’s colleges promote sober living—for students, for professors and for administrators.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), from 1999-2009 the number of students ages 18-24 checking into addiction recovery programs increased by more than 144 percent. Over the past decade, Sunrise Detox has seen an uptick of college graduates who are battling alcohol and drug dependence developed while they were students.

We all know that alcohol and drugs are a part of the college fabric, just as ubiquitous as all-night cramming sessions. While not every student who experiments with controlled substances is destined to become an addict, the risk of falling prey to addiction is significant and must be addressed.

As students exercise their first taste of freedom from parental supervision, alcohol and drugs are often abused to ease the stress that college generates—academically, socially and emotionally.

We know that the urge to imbibe is amplified within addicts, who face the same stresses, but are also saddled with a troubled history. We have heard many stories of addicts who have chosen to drop out of college, rather than deal with the daily battles against drugs and alcohol that are paramount at every turn.

This is unfair to these students, many of whom are desperate for a second chance and to prove they have something to offer society. Sober living environments give them this opportunity.

This fall, it is my hope that college officials statewide take the time to tour the facilities at Rutgers and William Paterson and figure out how similar programs can be instituted on their campuses. The ARS is one resource; Sunrise Detox is another, to help these New Jersey schools ensure all students have the tools to succeed in college.

John Moriarty is a detoxification expert at Sunrise Detox, a private luxury detoxification center with locations in Stirling, New Jersey and West Palm Beach, Florida. He can be reached at jmoriarty@sunrisedetox.com or 908-504-2700.

 For more information on Sunrise Detox or to arrange a tour of one of their existing facilities, visit www.sunrisedetox.com or call 1-888-44-DETOX.