NJ Colleges Take Action on Recovery and Environmental Change

1. NJ Colleges Take Action on Recovery and Environmental Change Glen L. Sherman, Ph.D., Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Development, William Paterson UniversityLea P. Stewart, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Communication, Director, Center for Communication and Health Issues, Livingston Campus Dean, Rutgers UniversityLisa Laitman, MSEd, LCADC, Director of ADAP Rutgers-NBJonathan Lausell, MSW, LCADC, Coordinator of Resident Recovery, William Paterson University

2. Presentation Overview • Goals • Briefly summarize alcohol problems on college campuses and their consequences • Describe environmental management approach to changing the culture of college drinking • Provide example of recovery support services as enhancements to the environmental approach

3. Presentation Overview • Grants from NJ Department of Human Services Division of Addiction Services (DAS) and U.S. Department of Education • Recovery Support and Environmental Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Substance Abuse on College Campuses in New Jersey • The New Jersey Higher Education Consortium Project to Prevent and Reduce Alcohol Abuse

4. Negative Consequences of Excessive College Drinking • $53 billion social cost for underage drinking • 1,825 student deaths • 599,000 unintentional injuries • 696,000 assaults (97,000 sexual assaults) • 100,000 students report having been too intoxicated to know they consented to having sex • Lower grade point average • 31% met criteria for alcohol abuse

5. The problem begins before college …(New Jersey State Epidemiological Profile for Substance Abuse, 2007) • 12-17 year olds: 18.8% reported drinking alcohol, 10.5% reported binge drinking • 7th & 8th graders: 3-year average of total lifetime use above the national rate • NJ high school students: • 79.3% have used alcohol (1 in 5 drank before they were 13) • 46.5% drank at least once in past 30 days • 27.2% engaged in binge drinking within the past 30 days • “Episodic, heavy binge drinking by high school students has declined less than nationally.” • But early first use of alcohol has declined significantly, suggesting that ongoing prevention efforts are beginning to take hold and have an effect.

6. What does this add up to? • More students coming to our campuses already engaging in binge drinking; they are at risk (in fact, Gruber et. al., 1996, found evidence that the earlier underage drinkers had drunk to intoxication, the more likely they were to experience alcohol dependence and frequent heavy drinking in college). • This behavior is both illegal and dangerous. • Our communities (elected officials and law enforcement) are taking underage drinking much more seriously. • University administrators and staff members are being held accountable.

7. Perhaps most important … “ . . . underage drinking reaches into the future by impeding normal development and constricting future opportunities.” Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility National Research Council, Institute of Medicine of the national Academies The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C. (2004)

8. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking (2007) • Supports developmental model of prevention: “a means by which the Nation as a whole can address underage alcohol use in a systematic, integrated way.” (p. 16) • Makes the case for “scaffolding,” supportive prevention interventions which occur on a continuum from middle school through college, appropriately meeting adolescents’ changing developmental needs, particularly at times of transition (heightened stress and vulnerability) and support adolescents’ development of self-regulation and decision-making skills.

9. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking 2007 • “A developmental approach to preventing and reducing underage alcohol use takes into account the complex forces and factors that shape how an adolescent will respond to the availability of alcohol in different situations at different times across the span of adolescence.” (p. 26) • “A developmental approach to prevention and reduction of underage drinking recognizes the importance of all the environmental and social systems that affect adolescents as well as their own maturational processes and individual characteristics.” (p. 26)

10. A Brief History of Alcohol Prevention on Campuses • Historically, alcohol intervention focused on educational and awareness programming and individual intervention • Typically came out of Health Center or Counseling Center • Might include a Health Educator • Next, peer group activities developed (e.g., BACCHUS) – alcohol-free fun • Peer Health Advocates or Peer Counselors were typically supervised by Counseling or Health Center staff member • Next, a broader Environmental Management Approach developed. • This brought other offices and personnel around campus into the discussion about alcohol and drug-related issues.

11. U.S .Dept. of Health, NIAAA and NIH Strategies to Reduce Alcohol Consumption on Campus

12. U.S .Dept. of Health, NIAAA and NIH Strategies to Reduce Alcohol Consumption on Campus

13. A Brief History of Alcohol Prevention on Campuses • Comprehensive Campus-Community Coalitions • Local elected officials (mayors, council persons, AOD employees) • Law enforcement officials (chiefs of police, student resource officers) • Local schools (Superintendents. Principals, Student Assistance Counselors, Parent-Teacher Associations, etc.) • Religious communities (e.g., clergy persons) • State offices (e.g., Health Departments, Liquor Control Boards, Motor Vehicles) • This approach has extended the boundaries of our work. • To be effective our campus community must work in concert with the greater community.

14. Recovery Support to College Students: The Need • In the decade between 1992 and 2002, the number of adolescent treatment admissions in the U.S. increased by 65% (from 95,000 to 156,000) according to SAMHSA data in 2004. • Increase in numbers of young people in recovery wanting to attend college who need support to manage the drinking environment that exists at most colleges. • Two studies have reported that 13% to 32% of college students meet DSM IV criteria for alcohol abuse and 6% to 8% for alcohol dependence. In 2008-2009, that translated into approximately 1,000,000 college students with alcohol dependence. • Recovery support for young people in college not only increases opportunities for a productive adult life but also contributes to recovery success.

15. Rutgers Recovery House In 1988, Rutgers became the first university to offer an on-campus residence hall for students in recovery. Safe haven for students who started recovery through on-campus AOD counseling program. Students in recovery began transferring to Rutgers because of Recovery House and support services. Recovery House is not a halfway house but a residence hall for students in recovery. Emphasis on self governance and accountability to the community. Alumni now include individuals in their 30’s-50’s with up to 27 years of sobriety. Rutgers Recovery Reunions in 1993, 2003, and 2008. In 2008, Rutgers received a three-year grant from the NJ Division of Addiction Services to enhance our recovery support services.

16. Rutgers Recovery Community Enhancements Full-time Recovery Counselor for Rutgers-Newark and New Brunswick Life skills training Academic support services Coordinated admissions process Housing scholarships Sober Spring Break, Halloween, New Year’s Eve, and Super Bowl Parties Graduation Party on May 17, 2010. We had 9 graduates this year, one graduated Phi Beta Kappa. We had 50 in attendance including parents, close friends, and sponsors. Importance of having fun (to fill the time that students used to spend using). Intramurals, speaking opportunities, sporting events, hikes, plays, museums. Service work and internships Opportunities to bond with others in recovery

17. Recovery Housing at William Paterson • Identified our smallest Residence Hall (~100 beds) as ideal for substance-free • Initially conceived of recovery floor within building, but realized stigma might be too great, and decided to integrate students in recovery throughout substance-free building

18. Outreach • Internally on campus • Externally to local substance abuse treatment facilities

19. Recovery Housing