Staying sober at college can be a challenge for recovering students.
That is why many universities have programs specifically designed to support students recovering from drug or alcohol abuse. At the University of Wyoming, the Alcohol Wellness Alternatives, Research and Education Program (AWARE) and Collegiate Recovery Program aim to help students recover from previous alcohol and drug related problems through education and a welcoming environment for support meetings.
Under the umbrella of the counseling center, the AWARE program has expectations for recovering students to reduce or eliminate alcohol or illegal drug use in addition to providing education and support. Though to program intent is to improve student wellness, not all students find it effective, especially those who are dealing with the law as well.
“What I can say about the AWARE program is that I understand that it is necessary and I do approve of the way that the actual councilors handle the situation,” said Destiny Irwin, a UW student who had been recovering last semester. “It just felt to me that the University was trying to place more blame on me than I already placed on myself.”
She had to keep revisiting a problem she wanted to forget, Irwin said. She believes the program would be more effective and show more concern for participants’ needs if it were shorter.
While the program was not as effective for her, Irwin also said, having these programs are still important for the University, especially for people who are looking for help and don’t know where to start.
The student-run Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) operates under the AWARE program. The organization, which started in 2013, aims to provide a safe and welcome space for students who are recovering from prior drug related problems, said president Rhett Epler.
“Everyone is welcome. It’s not anything denominational or anything like that,” Epler said. “We meet up and talk and hang out.”
CRP previously had no permanent home and changed locations frequently, which could be difficult for students, Epler said. The organization then worked with the UW administration, AWARE program and Wellness Program to set up a room for students to spend time together when needed.
“I think now having the space has really made a big difference,” said Tess Kilwein, vice president of the organization. “That’s been shown in universities across the country that having a collegiate recovery program is great, but really having a space to go to for support and resources makes all of the difference.”
Unlike AWARE, CRP does not require members to pay to participate. One concern of Irwin’s was that for AWARE she had to pay a deposit to participate, and was mandated to participate. CRP instead has a space where students can just hang out and not have to pay to be a member.
“For me personally, it’s been really helpful since I’ve come back to school, especially in my early years as a students when I was using,” said Dusty Toppenberg, a student member of CRP.
Having a safe place she can go to when she wanted to study has been really impactful for her, Toppenberg said, and she can easily relate to other students that do the same.
CRP meets on Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. in Knight Hall room 37. More information about AWARE program is available on the University Counseling Center site at UWyo.edu/ucc/aware/. CRP is online at Facebook.com/CRPUW/ and can also be reached through Epler at repler@uwyo.edu.
