April 15 through the 19th, 2024 has been named “Collegiate Recovery Week” by the Association of Recover in Higer Education (ARHE). This week supports events in the collegiate community that aim to “celebrate the joys of recovery, share stories [of recovery], and uplift one another through community,”.

College students have been shown to have higher rates of binge drinking and misuse of prescription stimulants than noncollege young adults. Behaviors like binge drinking have shown an increase in the likelihood of developing an alcohol use disorder. In 2019, it was estimated approximately 840,000 full-time student attending college would be in recovery. 

For those in the recovery journey, community plays a pivotal role. It establishes a supportive network that fosters understanding, empathy, and encouragement. Look below for some ideas on how you can support those in recovery!

Ways you can show support for those in recovery:

1. Choose activities that aren’t centered around drinking.
   • Consider planning some nondrinking outings! If you and your friends find yourselves going out to wine or beer tasting, bars, or parties, try going to a movie, bowling or a nice hike. 
2. Be mindful of how you talk about drinking.
   • Talking about your latest win at a drinking contest or a night of drunken escapades can be annoying or distressing to someone who’s in recovery. If your friend tells you outright something is making them uncomfortable or if you get the feeling they are becoming annoyed, simply apologize and change subjects.
3.  Listen closely and be patient.
   • If a nondrinker does decide to confide in you, listen and be patient as they navigate through some hard topics. Recognize that for people who have an alcohol use disorder, abstaining from alcohol can be difficult — even if they’ve been sober for years.
4. Wear purple to celebrate collegiate recovery.
   • Purple was selected as the recovery movement’s official color.