Student-founded group for sobriety support receives new physical space on campus

When graduate student Sari Richards committed to his journey to sobriety, he turned to external resources to help support his recovery. A 12-step recovery program helped him beat his substance-use disorder, but it was unaffiliated with Binghamton University. Richards and Peter McEntee, a graduate student who is also sober, wanted to extend the opportunities for recovery to all students through the University.

“We were noticing a lack of a space on campus that was sober and could support people in recovery,” Richards said.

Richards had been in and out of recovery programs since high school, but this time it stuck. He is now a year and a half sober, which was all possible due to the help he received. Hoping to pay it forward, he and McEntee brainstormed ways to support students in recovery on campus to ensure there are available resources.

The pair decided to create the Campus Recovery Support Group (CRSG), which provides support for students who are struggling with substance-use issues.

Richards and McEntee started the CRSG as a student-run organization and aimed to establish it as an official resource offered by the University. During the planning stages in fall 2019, they reached out to contacts involved with recovery in the area and connected with people at the University Counseling Center.

By January 2020, they were collaborating with Angelica Dellapenna, a substance-use specialist and licensed mental health counselor at Binghamton University, to host weekly Zoom sessions. The unofficial meetings consisted of meditations led by Dellapenna and conversations relevant to sobriety, such as college and party culture.

“One motivation for starting a more concrete sober space in the University and for students was to show that there is an alternative way to go about being a college student that doesn’t revolve around partying and going out to bars,” Richards said. “I came into college not drinking and then quickly started drinking again, just because the culture is built around alcohol. There’s also a lot of misunderstanding around what substance misuse is.”

Richards and McEntee worked to gain University support to ensure the CRSG remains a resource after they graduate. And, with their hard work, the CRSG became an official program associated with the University Counseling Center (UCC) and Health Promotion and Prevention Services in fall 2021. The CRSG were granted a new physical space, which will be revamped this summer, and a graduate assistant will help market the program and build social events.

“Long term, we want to grow Binghamton University’s recovery capital by providing education around substance-use disorders to faculty, staff and students, offering wide-ranging supportive resources for students in recovery or seeking recovery, and expanding opportunities for all of these groups to connect,” said Linda Reynolds, the college prevention coordinator for Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs.

The CRSG offers support for people in all stages of recovery, whether the individual wants to explore what sobriety would be like or they are having a hard time staying sober. Students can contact the CRSG and undergo a screening process to participate in the meetings facilitated by Dellapenna. There are also weekly informal meetings where students hang out, study together and socialize.

“The first line of defense when someone is on the edge of a relapse or is having a hard day is just calling someone else in recovery,” Richards said. “We set that up fairly quickly and informally when people get to group if they’re comfortable.”

Studies show that sober peers can provide the best emotional support in recovery, which is why the CRSG uses a peer mentor system and group conversations. Richards and McEntee’s security in their sobriety allows them to serve as peer mentors for other CRSG members.

“I’m more there as a resource for other students who might be at a part of recovery when it’s a little more precarious and they need more support,” Richards said. “Coming at someone from a more level standpoint of peer-to-peer is more helpful. It’s very casual. It’s more just a friend who has a bit more experience and offers support that way.”

If students or faculty without a history of substance misuse want to help those struggling to maintain sobriety, the CRSG provides Recovery Ally Training. These three-hour interactive workshops are held once or twice a semester for anyone to attend and groups can request a program through Health Promotion and Prevention Services. The workshop trains people to support those in or beginning recovery from a substance-use disorder (SUD).

“The workshop is focused on the science behind SUD’s, social justice and stigma, what an ally does and the many different pathways to recovery,” Reynolds said.

The CRSG hopes its growth and new physical space will help support even more students to beat their substance-use disorder, an arduous task and long-term effort. It was not an easy road to recover for Richards, but the CRSG has helped him stay sober, and he hopes the resource continues to do the same for others long after he graduates.

“Being of service to other people in recovery and keeping recovery as an active part of my everyday life is really important for my sobriety, so the CRSG helps me to do both of those things,” Richards said. “I hope the CRSG evolves into more of a sober community and presence on campus that provides support groups, resources and peer support, helps organize events and activities that aren’t substance-oriented, and is just a place to hang out on campus for students who are in recovery or interested in recovery.”