The Stigma

We are a free country! This is indeed true, we have a right to do as we wish, no matter what that may be.   Whether we grow up in families that drink and party, or not; all of us will face the decision to try alcohol and drugs at some point.  For most people, it is a socially acceptable rite of passage.

 

When does it move from the socially acceptable to a problem?  That depends on each person.  It is a self diagnosis and is not for anyone else to decide. For me, although I often felt I was down for the count, I figured things would just work out.  My cycle of denial, illusions and justification became commonplace; it was a never-ending cycle of insanity. It was when things kept falling short of my expectations that change started to happen for me.

 

Talking about alcoholism is difficult.  It is a sensitive issue that many people want to avoid.  However, ignoring the issue isn’t helping anyone.  I understand that drinking is popular and accepted, especially among college students.  But what if the popular, accepted thing is making life harder and causing unnecessary problems for many students?  Is ignoring the issue the right thing to do when it is hurting people?

 

The Wellness Promotion Department at UNC Charlotte offers a program for students who are in recovery from substance abuse of all kinds.  Since I have been working there, I have gotten to see firsthand how being a part of such a cool program can change lives. The weekly AA meetings have been great support for my own recovery but the really important thing has been the changes I have seen in others.  One student walked away with higher hopes of seeing that the obsession/craving can go away. Some, who may have otherwise failed, now have a chance to make it through their college career.

 

This program pushes against the grain because talking about our addictions in public is difficult.  However, it is worth sharing our stories over and over again if it can help someone else not have to go through what we’ve been through. The cycle of addiction is full of pain, sadness, false pride, lack of emotional growth, and the feeling of being alone. 

 

You are not ALONE, nor will you ever be! There are people pulling for you that have no clue who you are, but they pray for you every single day!!!  Support that was not available before is now here on campus to help and benefit our students.  The AA meetings are on Monday evenings from 6:00-7:00 pm at the Student Health Center.

 

The AA meeting went from 3 people two weeks ago to 8 people last week! The next meeting is this evening and I have gotten a bunch of business cards made that have a map to the Student Health Center on the back.

 

Also, we are excited to have a dedicated room for the Collegiate Recovery Community in the Student Health Center.  Right now, it is just an empty room but we have written a grant request for IKEA Charlotte to furnish the room for us.  We hope to hear about that soon.  Getting this program going has been a slow process but we are making progress. We are also looking into starting a Learning Community which would allow recovering students to go through classes together, study together and support each other in their recovery and in their success at UNC Charlotte. 

 

Whether you are in recovery, know someone in recovery, or just want to be supportive of our recovery efforts, come and join us!

 

Written by Hillary B and revised by Angela Allen

UNC-Charlotte

Wellness Promotion Department