Gratitude while Drinking, Gratitude while Recovering

Background. For decades researchers have debated whether those diagnosed with alcohol use disorders can return to non-problematic drinking. Now, recovery researchers are measuring aspects of wellbeing in addition to aspects of pathology, producing surprising findings that have added to the debate. Recent studies show that some who continue to drink endorse high levels of psychosocial functioning. Objectives. Employ trait gratitude to answer the following questions: how do individuals who continue to drink but endorse high gratitude at follow-up differ from peers at baseline? Does trait gratitude correlate differently with demographic, psychosocial, and clinical factors for abstinent members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) versus drinking non-AAs? Methods. 275 individuals with alcohol dependence were assessed for trait gratitude at 2.5-3 year follow-up in a naturalistic, longitudinal study. Psychosocial and clinical indicators were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Results. Drinkers who endorsed high gratitude had higher socioeconomic status, greater levels of positive spirituality, more stable personality indicators, less addiction severity, fewer negative life events, and fewer psychiatric symptoms than their peers at baseline. For actively drinking non-AAs, trait gratitude correlated differently, and positively, with years of education, income, and purpose in life compared with sober AAs. For AA members, gratitude correlated positively with AA involvement and length of sobriety. Discussion. A subset of drinkers report doing relatively well despite meeting criteria for alcohol dependence. Trait gratitude correlated differently with other constructs for AAs versus non-AAs, indicating that gratitude for recovery might be contextually sensitive, operating differently within and without the structure of AA.

Recovery-informed Theory: Situating the Subjective in the Science of Substance Use Disorder Recovery

As recovery from substance use disorder becomes more than a mere quantifiable outcome, there exists a need to discuss and propose the underlying theoretical constructs that ultimately describe and identify the science of recovery. In this abstract undertaking, we propose an initial formulation of a grand theory of recovery science, built upon the seminal theories of recovery capital, recovery-oriented systems of care, and socioecological theory. This grand theory - labeled recovery-informed theory (RIT) - states that successful long-term recovery is self-evident and is a fundamentally emancipatory set of processes. This paper will discuss, analyze, and explore this theory as it is situated within the larger substance use, misuse, and disorder contexts. The uses, implications, and benefits of RIT as an organizing point of inquiry for recovery science are also discussed. By promoting the role of subjective recovery experience in the formulation of the study of recovery, it may be possible to summon new ideas, metrics, and strategies that can directly address substance use disorders in society. Adopting a recovery-informed understanding as follows from this grand theory may allow individual recovery and wellness trajectories to be explored, adapted, and modified to exemplify person-centered and individualized recovery strategies.

Social Media: The Meeting Before the Meeting

Now, more than ever, many students' first contact with your program very well could be from your social media presence. This roundtable will explore helpful communicating tips and tools to bridge the intergenerational gap between staff and students that will help participants engage students and introduce their program to a broader audience.

Community Colleges: The Next Frontier of Recovery Support at Institutions of Higher Education

In 2016, TYR could identify only six community colleges offering recovery support programs and services. Based on this finding, TYR identified a need for pilot programs to better understand programmatic models that may be effective for supporting students in recovery at community colleges. TYR’s Bridging the Gap grant program supports these pilot programs and is intended to act as a catalyst for building capacity for recovery support on community college campuses across the U.S. The goal of the program is two-fold; first, to help more 2-year institutions initiate recovery support programs and services and second, to study what programs and services are viewed as helpful and useful to students in recovery so that best practices can be shared as the field develops. This session provided a recap of TYR’s 2016 research, observations from Year 1 of the grant program, and a discussion on survey responses on institutional attitudes and student engagement in recovery support on 2-year campuses.

Helping Clients find their True North: Increasing Client Engagement through In-Vivo Clinical Offerings and Collegiate Based Services

College participation and substance use disorder treatment do not need to, nor should they, be pursued in isolation from one another. Modern treatment opportunities exist which place an emphasis on school as a restorative and curative aspect of the treatment plan and encourage active class participation throughout the traditional treatment continuum. This interactive presentation will enhance participants' efficacy through reframing of clinical interventions through a Narrative Therapy lens in order to assist clients in finding their purpose through developmentally appropriate interventions, and the use of academics and "In-Vivo" offerings as an intervention to increase engagement in treatment. Adjusting our concept of a "continuum of care" to include real world experiences in order to challenge, empower, and inspire emerging adults; thereby creating a paradigm shift in the lives of recovering students in early stages of recovery.

Starting a Sober Dorm: Year One Challenges, Successes and Lessons Learned

This presentation is an examination of the pilot year of the Healthy Lifestyles Living Learning Community (HL LLC) substance-free housing option for incoming first year students sponsored by The Center for Students in Recovery at The University of Texas at Austin. Presenters will contextualize the history and unfulfilled need for recovery and sober student housing on the UT Austin campus, and will explore the development and implementation of a sober dorm from inception through the end of year one. Attendees will hear a candid assessment of expectations versus realities across multiple domains, including: the application process; selection of an initial cohort; the design and implementation of programming; the challenges of group cohesion and resident assistant empowerment; budget constraints; overall lessons learned; and considerations moving into year two.

Where do we come from, where are we now, and where are we going? The Evolution of Collegiate Recovery Science

Attendees will be provided with a brief history/timeline of collegiate recovery as a field, through the lens of research (with a focus on the explosive growth in knowledge in the last decade). This initial presentation will be followed by a synopsis of the current state of collegiate recovery science, focusing on recent studies in the field (CRP alumni survey; meta-reviews; and any large impact studies published in the last year up to month of the conference). The session will end with a presentation on the directions for the future, making clear calls that not only does the research need to continue and in what suggested ways, but also serving to inspire students to engage in the process as they are our best hope to continue the work in innovative ways we haven't thought of. The current landscape of collegiate recovery research and recovery science overall. Additionally, attendees will be able to describe future directions for this type of inquiry.

Guilford County Solution to the Opioid Problem (GCSTOP): A Model for University/Community Partnerships

There were over 700 overdoses and 180 deaths from opioids in Guilford County, NC in 2017. The Guilford Solution to the Opioid Problem (GSTOP) project leverages funds allocated by the STOP-Act to design, implement, and evaluate a rapid response program intended to decrease mortality from opioid overdoses. The program engages citizens who overdose in harm reduction practices, distributes naloxone kits to high-risk users, conducts community health education, coordinates community resources through the CURE Triad collaborative, and builds relationships focused on ending opioid overdose. This presentation will review the development of the partnership between Guilford County Emergency Medical Services and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro that has resulted in the GSTOP demonstration project. The presentation included background on the opioid epidemic in Guilford County, the development of CURE Triad (a community coalition to address overdoses) and the implementation of GSTOP, the unique features of hosting such a program within a university, the evaluation design, and preliminary outcomes of the program.

Eating Disorder Recovery: Fostering an Inclusive Culture

Eating disorder (ED) recovery is often difficult to define, which may leave those offering recovery support feeling lost and discouraged when determining ED services in their Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP). Although CRPs primarily support substance use disorders (SUD), research demonstrates 35% with a SUD recovery report also having an ED, thus making it imperative that CRPs understand and consider means for an ED supportive culture. Providing information to staff of CRPs on the state of ED recovery research and how to incorporate strategies for support, despite the size, tenure, or financial status of a CRP, is important for inclusion. Texas Tech offered their experience in their CRP and the evolution of ED support and culture within.

Students Voicing Collegiate Recovery

Young adults increasingly enter college with substance use addiction. Some may achieve recovery before setting their foot on a college campus whereas others during their college years. These students often struggle to maintain sobriety as they act out their daily lives because they find themselves in abstinence-hostile environments (Bugbee et al., 2016; Harris et al., 2008). This presentation will discuss students’ collegiate recovery experiences and will report on a photovoice project documenting students’ recovery experience and recovery management and support needs. Photovoice is a participatory social action method that uses photography to answer research questions (Wang, 2006); a photovoice exhibit, involving a gallery of participants’ photographs and linked narrative text to explicate the photos’ meaning, disseminates the findings. The presentation will focus on the narratives of students in recovery and attendees will obtain an in-depth understanding of recovery students’ experiences of stigma, shame and isolation, and marginalized social positions, which are intimately tied to their addiction histories. Students in recovery represent an invisible student group that struggles to access resources and needed healthcare services. The photovoice method can act as a powerful tool to empower marginalized students to share their recovery experiences and articulate their needs; ultimately providing a vehicle for structural-level and systemic change.