Welcome to November! As we enter a month centered on gratitude and connection, we want to wish you and your loved ones a warm and joyful Thanksgiving. This season reminds us of the power of community - and the life-changing support collegiate recovery programs provide to students across the country. As you reflect on what you’re thankful for, we invite you to keep an eye out for ARHE’s Giving Tuesday campaign later this month. Your generosity helps us expand resources, strengthen programs, and ensure every student in or seeking recovery has a place to belong and thrive. We’re grateful to have you in our community and hope you’ll join us in building a stronger future together.
With more campuses being willing to address opioid-related risks within their communities, even more campuses are wondering how to do this work well. Meanwhile, budgets continue to tighten and job responsibilities keep growing. In this session, the SAFE Campuses team from SAFE Project will share frameworks that assist in the strategic use of available resources targeted at preventing and responding to opioid overdose on campus and within the many places that students and staff frequent.
ARHE members have asked to bring back our Monthly Membership Meeting - and we’re excited to make it happen!
ARHE Monthly Membership Meetings will take place each month on the third Monday, at 12pm ET / 11am CT / 10am MT / 9am PT! Register today! These meetings will be a space for:
- Updates from ARHE — brief updates on current initiatives.
- Member feedback — your chance to share your voice and help shape ARHE’s work.
- Peer connection across regions — ask questions, share resources, and strengthen your network.
-Attendees will learn to recognize how substance use (e.g., alcohol or drug misuse) exacerbates problem gambling, including shared risk factors like impulsivity and stress, and how these interactions worsen gambling outcomes such as debt or relationship strain. -Participants will understand how gambling, especially when paired with substance use, can disrupt personal finances, relationships, and overall well-being, with practical insights into recognizing and addressing these challenges. -Participants will explore straightforward strategies to prevent gambling-related problems, including how addressing substance use can support better decision-making and reduce negative gambling outcomes like overspending or stress.
ARHE is a proud partner of the Mobilize Recovery Campus Surge initiative this fall - and it's not quite over yet! There's one event left - be sure to check it out!
What To Expect
- Educational Workshops: Interactive sessions on addiction, recovery, and mental health led by experts and advocates for students and the public.
- Empowerment Training: Leadership and advocacy training designed to equip students with tools to effect change.
- Community Engagement: Expect music and a fun atmosphere, with networking to foster community connection and dialogue.
- Life-Saving Resources: Distribution of overdose reversal agents and fentanyl test strips to reduce fatalities.
The Georgetown M.S. in Addiction Policy & Practice program would like to thank everyone who attended our Campus Surge event with Mobilize Recovery in October! We had 128 registrants join us for an afternoon of community, collaboration, and advocacy. Our next program information session will be on Thursday, November 20th, at 2 PM EST, and will feature program alumnus Chad Jackson (MS 2023). Register now to attend.
- Poster Presentations
- Lightning Talks (10-minutes)
- Breakout Sessions (60-minutes)
- Extended Breakout Sessions (90-minutes)
- Keynote Presentations (90-minutes)
- Pre-conference Workshops (120-minutes)
- Nearly 50 percent of CRP students identify as a sexual or gender minority.
- Only 37% of colleges with CRPs provide training for the overdose reversal drug, and only 18% distribute fentanyl test strips.
- 27% of students in CRPs believed they had not resolved their substance use or behavioral problem.
- 59% were juggling student loans, compared to the national average of 38% of first-time undergraduates.
- 50% felt stigmatized by their peers, and 22% felt stigmatized by their professors, for being in recovery.
- The majority of students experienced lifetime mental health conditions, such as depression (79%) and anxiety (77%).
Invitation to Participate in a Boston University Study on All-Recovery Meetings To all CRP Directors/Coordinators,
My name is Dr. Christina Freibott, current postdoctoral fellow at Boston University. I am the project lead on a study that is under the direction of Dr. Noel Vest. We are conducting a study describing All-Recovery Meetings and aim to gain insights from stakeholders such as yourself.
We are reaching out to invite you as Program Director/Coordinator (or similar title/designated delegate) to participate in a short survey about Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) and All-Recovery meetings (sometimes referred to as All Pathways, Multiple Pathways, Open Recovery, or similar types of meetings). The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the structure, operation, and role of All-Recovery meetings at CRPs across the US.
Participation involves completing a one-time online survey, which should take approximately 30 minutes. As a token of appreciation for your time and insights, you will receive a $75 gift card upon completing the survey. Importantly, you will be required to use your .edu email address assigned by your university and we will take steps to verify eligibility and ensure the integrity of submissions.
Your participation is voluntary, and no identifying information will be shared in reports or publications. Full details about the study, confidentiality, and your rights as a participant are outlined in the attached Study Fact Sheet (consent form).
If you are interested in participating, please click the link below to access the consent form and be invited to the study: https://redcap.bumc.bu.edu/surveys/?s=8AXJNA4RR7K7LCHL
If you have any questions or concerns about the study, please feel free to contact: Dr. Chistina Freibott (Project Lead: freibott@bu.edu) Dr. Noel Vest (Principal Investigator: vest@bu.edu)
ARHE has re-launched the Biennial Collegiate Recovery Program Survey for 2025, which allows us to gather vital data to advocate for increased support across institutions, states/provinces, and at the federal level.
You can access the survey at the following link: https://collegiaterecovery.org/arhe-collegiate-recovery-program-survey/
The data we collect informs:
- ARHE’s national advocacy efforts at the federal level, when advocating for state / provincial expansion, and even with individual institutions
- Resource development, toolkits, and supportive materials
- Strategic planning and organizational priorities
- Training and technical assistance (TTA) initiatives
- Gaps in research which can be prioritized to further advance our understanding
- Public understanding of who CRPs serve and how they make a difference
Please consider filling out the survey as early as possible to add to the overall longitudinal data that informs what we do.
The Center for Young Adult Addiction and Recovery (CYAAR) at Kennesaw State University, Georgia (USA) started the Collegiate Recovery Research Collaborative (CRRC) in 2017. The Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE) is excited to now host the CRRC to allow researchers to connect, collaborate, and progress important research topics within the profession of collegiate recovery.
Currently, the CRRC meets once a month on the first Thursday of the month at 12pm ET / 11am CT / 10am MT / 9am PT. Project-specific meetings may take place outside of this time.
If you haven’t done so, be sure to check out the updated Getting Started Guide, published earlier this year! This refreshed resource is a great first stop for anyone interested in helping launch or strengthen collegiate recovery efforts on their campus. Whether you’re building support among administrators, looking for guidance on next steps, or simply exploring what a CRP could look like, this guide can help spark ideas and provide a roadmap forward. We hope it empowers you to advocate confidently and expand recovery supports so more students can access the community and care they deserve.
