5 Resources You Need To Stay Sober In College

Recovery in college can seem paradoxical. But with the right resources under your belt, it doesn’t need to be.

With the CDC reporting that 51% of 18-20 year olds who consume alcohol are binge drinkers, college can seem to be a tricky place to stay on the path to sobriety. Thankfully, with some helpful tools and resources, college becomes as good as any place (and maybe even a better place) to start or continue on your recovery journey.

1. Use Your Campus Health Center. Your campus health center can be a fantastic resource for your recovery journey. The healthcare staff at these centers are often knowledgeable in college-age health issues— one of them being recovery. These are typically low-cost and convenient places to seek out medical help whether you’re just beginning your recovery journey or you’re years into it.
2. Look For On-Campus Counseling Centers. Similar to campus health centers, counseling centers offer a convenient way to make sure you’re getting the mental health help you need. A regular meeting with a counselor can be a great way to make sure you’re participating in consistent self-care. Self-care, especially in such a busy time of life like college, is an important part of recovery.
3. Read Voices of Recovery from the Campus, by Lisa Laitman, Dr. Linda Lederman, and Irene Silos. This book offers 12 different stories from students who became sober in college, and tells how it began, how it went, and where they are now. These case studies are a great way to see how other students went through the same struggles you might be facing now, and they give hope for the future. 
4. Find A School With A Collegiate Recovery Program. Over 140 schools across the nation offer a collegiate recovery program, which are designed for college students who are seeking and living out sobriety. These programs often provide sober housing, regular recovery events, and recovery mentors, so that you can live within a thriving recovery community. As In The Rooms co-founder Ron Tannenbaum says, “college students who are clean and sober need to be around other college students who are clean and sober.” Find one close to you here and learn more about some of our favorites here!
5. Join InTheRooms.com. With over 130 weekly live online meetings, In The Rooms is bound to have the type of meeting you need and a meeting that fits your busy college schedule. Join today and make our free meetings part of your recovery toolkit!