What does it mean to be “in recovery” from an addiction? Is it a philosophy? A choice? A revelation? The meaning of the phrase “in recovery” becomes even more abstracted when it’s placed in the context of a college campus. We consider college the time to “use substances,” and the time to be social; it’s no mistake these two cultural customs coincide. The social fabric of college is predicated on this use of substances; it is a way to avoid the awkwardness of meeting new people. It’s also simply something to do. When the weekend comes around, it feels like there is little to do besides drink and party. We imagine that sobriety, responsible consumption, or recovery comes later when we are midlife and reach “rock-bottom.” But why can’t it start now?
As we know, Ursinus is a certified “recovery-friendly” workplace. Perhaps less known is that one of the resources they offer is a student-led “All-Recovery Meeting.” The Ursinus website says this meeting “is for anyone in recovery or seeking recovery from mental or behavioral health conditions – including, but not limited to, substance use disorder, gambling disorder, eating disorder, etc.” They meet in the Hive at 7pm every Friday. I spoke with meeting facilitator Michael Cummins ‘27 and recovery intern Ryan Donovan ‘27, a consistent attendee, during one of these weekly meetings. (If you are interested in joining the All-Recovery community or have suggestions, I highly encourage you to reach out to these students.)
When I arrived at the meeting on Friday, Michael and Ryan were the only two students there. The low attendance at the meeting has been a recurring pattern this semester, so Michael and Ryan agreed it might be worthwhile to have an article covering their meeting, and the recovery community more broadly on campus. Together, we brainstormed about the question: why aren’t students showing up?
Part of the low attendance, Michael noted, is simply because, on our small campus, there’s a low number of students who are in recovery. In the past, the program has had a consistent group, but this semester, attendance has been sporadic, which may be partially a natural fluctuation. We also speculated that students might not know what an “All-Recovery Meeting” is, and thus they assume it’s not for them. So let’s make some important clarifications:
Michael “facilitates” the meeting, which means that he sets some boundaries for discussing these heavy topics. According to him, these include no cross-talk, no electronics, remaining sober during the meeting, and no advocating for harm-reduction. These are not rigid rules that will get you kicked out; rather, they are guidelines so that conversations are productive and sensitive to the collective goal of the meeting. He also prepares a topic for the meeting for the group to engage with in “round table shares” in which everyone has the opportunity to talk about their experience. At the end of the meeting, they do “checkouts,” communicating what went well, what didn’t, and sharing plans for the next week.
This meeting differs from traditional 12-Step programs or SMART (Self-Management and Recovery Training) Recovery because, while a large emphasis is placed on talking about their recoveries, these students also share in common that they are attending Ursinus College. Thus, they encourage more open discussions about college life and focus specifically on building a community on campus. Additionally, this meeting differs from other programs because there is no one-size-fits-all philosophy. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) often emphasizes the individual surrendering their control to a higher power, while SMART Recovery blanket-rule avoids language like “addict” for its stigmatizing connotations and believes in a self-regulated recovery. Michael and Ryan themselves had different ideas about what recovery meant to them, and that added to the value of our conversation. And certainly, a lot arose in the conversation I had in this space that helped me think about recovery during college.
During the conversation, Ryan said he considered addiction a “spiritual disease” which he described as when “your mode of being or drive is directed towards something that isn’t productive to yourself or society or both. It shortens your lifespan, makes it harder to live.”
He went on, “And, there are good things about that drive – the ‘it’s never enough’ thing – it just needs to be channeled towards something productive.”
Our society tends to think of addiction as a disease or moral failing arising from within the individual. However, Ryan suggested addiction might be thought of as a misdirected energy, a lack that seeks. What he said reminds me of the common phrase surrounding recovery culture: addiction is the opposite of connection. Perhaps we are lacking in spaces that allow individuals to connect with each other and are instead directed towards addiction. Much of the United States’ social fabric predicates on consumption, especially of alcohol. For individuals in recovery during college, this creates a feeling of alienation – which makes staying in recovery even more challenging.
Michael said, “I feel very alienated just in the manner I live my life. I’m still friends with people I was friends with when I was using, and I’m still close with them, but when they do stuff on weekends, I can’t join them.”
Ryan responded to this saying, “Whether I am in recovery or active use, I’m still not talking to people. There’s no community, and maybe that’s an Ursinus problem, or maybe that’s a whole world problem.”
This brings me back to the initial question of why the All-Recovery Meeting might struggle to engage students. I don’t think there is a shortage of students who are interested in recovery or sobriety. Actually, I think now more than ever people in this age group are questioning their use of substances. And for good reason; we have grown up in addictive environments. Our social networks are largely online and algorithmized to keep us there. We have electronic nicotine and marijuana devices that we can use anywhere, anytime. We can order fast food to our doorstep. Addiction is made easier, more accessible. Meanwhile, the social engagement that used to accompany substances – going to the casino, smoking outdoors with friends, going to restaurants – diminishes.
Our generation, I’d like to believe, is not complacent in the exploitation of our desire to connect. More frequently, I see people my age delete social media, focus on their physical health, and take an interest in sober living. The problem is when we turn away from these addictive infrastructures, it feels like there is nowhere left for us to go. We become socially displaced. Thus, I think students are wary of a recovery meeting because it seems like a deprivation – not necessarily of the substance – but of their social life. When considering recovery, people don’t know where else they can go for the connection.
A couple days later, I spoke to a student who studied abroad recently in Spain. He said that people often drank a beer or two at lunch. Then, they took a siesta, or nap. Bars were open later, and people stayed up talking late into the night. Outdoor seating was everywhere, partially because people smoked cigarettes, partially because it is nice to sit outside. Notably, the student I spoke with did not partake in smoking or drinking; he also did not feel like he had to. It occurred to me that he was describing a culture with social spaces where substances were merely additive. Meanwhile, in America, substances are the foundation of our social interactions – the social stuff is the additive part. Additionally, substances are a release from our drilling work ethic, a pressure and release cycle that leads to harm. In Spain, maybe they drank a beer on a weekday and rested afterward. Here, we overwork ourselves the entire week and binge on the weekends.
From these conversations, it seemed that the low attendance at the All-Recovery Meeting did not stem entirely from a lack of students or outreach, but from a prevailing social situation in which sober students lack alternative social spaces. However, that is why the All-Recovery Meeting is an incredibly valuable resource on campus – because they offer support to students in recovery, yes, but also because it is a social space. And, as I think Michael and Ryan would agree, it is a starting point. A place where we can think about the sorts of social spaces we are lacking, and the kinds that we ourselves will build. Therefore, when we say we are “in recovery,” it means we are a part of a community that seeks a new kind of social life.
Reach out to Michael Cummins at
micummins@ursinus.edu or 570-687-6076 and Ryan Donovan at
rydonovan@ursinus.edu or 703-216-2269