SSAC staff are here to meet with any student who has any concerns about their own alcohol or drug use, or the use of a friend, roommate or loved one. We are committed to providing short-term, evidence-based psycho-educational interventions, resource referral, consultation, and advocacy for students who are experiencing problems related to their or another person’s substance use.
We take a non-judgmental perspective that is built on compassion for our students and the desire to support each student. We are understanding of the social and cultural influences at play when it comes to substance use and have a deep understanding of addiction/substance misuse.
Our services are a collaborative process framed with education, risk reduction, recovery support, and a problem-solving approach aimed at empowering students towards their own goals. We assist students in defining recovery within the context of their own lives.
SSAC can support students in:
- Navigating campus and community resources
- Exploring risk reduction and/or boundaries with substance use
- Contemplating recovery
- Navigating resources related to criminal and conduct processes
- Understanding health and academic impacts of substance use
- Setting boundaries with close people in recovery and self-care
- Explore participation in Patriots 4 Recovery
- Determine a plan of support and resources
SSAC is committed to educating students about substance use so that the may make choices informed by their own context and needs. SSAC is committed to understanding the social justice impacts of substance use enforcement, including the racist history of drug policy and incorporates this understanding in our work.
Additional Recovery Resources
On-Campus
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA): AA is a “fellowship of people who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism”
- Sundays 10:30 am in Engineering Hall 1108 (Please note, the Student Support and Advocacy Center does not facilitate these meetings, and therefore it is best to check the website to ensure that the groups are currently meeting before attending.)
Off-Campus
Due to the public health concerns of the Coronavirus, many recovery meetings have been moved to a virtual format and are consistently changing. Please check out the list of some online and local recovery options to get more information about recovery options in our area. Feel free to reach out to the Student Support and Advocacy Center and we would be happy to help you find a recovery or support group to meet your needs or to discuss alternative options.
Substance use recovery and support meetings
- SMART Recovery: https://www.smartrecovery.org/community/calendar.php
- Refuge Recovery: https://refugerecovery.org/meetings?tsml-day=any&tsml-region=online-english
- Narcotics Anonymous Online Meetings: https://www.na.org/meetingsearch/text-results.php?country=Web&state&city&zip&street&within=5&day=0&lang&orderby=distance
- Alcoholics Anonymous Online Meetings: http://aa-intergroup.org/directory.php
- Marijuana Anonymous Online Meetings: https://www.ma-online.org/
- Al-Anon Online Meetings: https://al-anon.org/al-anon-meetings/electronic-meetings/
- Teletherapy for Addiction and Mental Health: https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/treatment-program/online-counseling/telehealth-app/
- Interested in creating a new recovery meeting on campus? Email us at recovery@gmu.edu and we would love to help you get started.