NJ Colleges Take Action on Recovery and Environmental

Change

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

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

$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

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.

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.

“ . . . 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)

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.

“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)

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.

Environmental Approaches Examples

Enforcement of zero tolerance & drinking and driving laws

Police patrols, residence hall enforcement, DUI checkpoints on campus, Student Code of Conduct

Strategies to reduce availability of alcohol

Social event registration, no alcohol in public areas, no alcohol at sporting events, alternative events

Social Norms Campaign Descriptive NormsInjunctive Norms

Campus Alcohol Task Force Faculty and Student Affairs Staff collaboration on alcohol issues

Presidential Leadership Making it a priority issue for campus

Campus-Community Partnerships/Coalitions

Local police cooperation

Approaches that Target the Individual Drinker

Examples

Alcohol Screening Counseling Centers, Residence Life

Availability of Counseling Counseling Centers, BASICS program

Treatment Programs Recovery Housing, 12-step groups

Skills-based interventions and motivational interviewing with mandated students

Counseling

Delivering interventions in settings where students experiencing problems are more likely to be seen

Health Centers, Counseling Centers, Residence Halls, Deans of Students’ offices

Computer or web-based brief interventions (personal feedback)

Online personal feedback assessments (e.g., Alcohol.edu, specialized programs)

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Internally on campus

Externally to local substance abuse treatment facilities