College Recovery Communities Join to Form Association for Recovery in Higher Education
Each week, the Higher Education Center showcases recent developments in the field of AOD abuse and violence prevention in higher education that may include new data and resources, upcoming events and programs, funding opportunities, and learning opportunities. To see a listing of previous This Week! features, visit the This Week! archive.
September 2, 2011
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), from 1999 to 2009, the number of students aged 18 to 24 seeking treatment for substance abuse more than doubled. The rate of heavy alcohol use—having five or more drinks on five or more occasions in the previous month—is highest among 20- to 22-year-olds; college students are the heaviest drinkers in that group, SAMHSA says.
Most colleges do not provide recovery services for students, but the number that do has been growing since the early 2000s. This is thanks largely to Texas Tech University’s replication model, which provides a curriculum to help other colleges create, establish, and expand their own programs.
Recognizing the need for collaboration among these programs, officials from several college recovery communities gathered this summer to establish the Association for Recovery in Higher Education. The group is planning a national meeting in March 2012, where the topics of discussion will include what recovery centers entail, what makes them successful, and what they can learn from each other.