Assistant Professor Boston University, Massachusetts
Background & Introduction: Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) are campus-based services that provide peer, academic, and wellness supports for students in recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs) and behavioral addictions. Although CRPs have expanded rapidly over the past two decades, there remains limited national evidence describing who these programs serve, how they are implemented, and which institutional features support their sustainability. This study aimed to (1) characterize the demographic and recovery profiles of students participating in CRPs and (2) identify program-level factors associated with institutional capacity, harm-reduction integration, and service reach.
Methods: We synthesized findings from two complementary national cross-sectional surveys conducted between 2023 and 2024. The first surveyed 70 CRP directors from the United States and Canada and assessed institutional characteristics, funding structures, staffing, relapse-management policies, and harm-reduction practices. The second surveyed 246 students in CRPs from 77 institutions and assessed demographic characteristics, recovery pathways, treatment history, co-occurring mental health conditions, and utilization of recovery supports. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize student- and program-level characteristics, and bivariate comparisons examined associations between funding diversification and indicators of program capacity.
Results: CRP students represented a highly diverse recovery population: 48% identified as LGBTQIA+, 34% reported prior justice system involvement, and 77% reported a co-occurring mental health diagnosis. Only 54% reported ever receiving formal SUD treatment, reflecting a shift toward community-anchored and multiple-pathway recovery trajectories. Students reported engaging in a range of supports, including mutual-help meetings, professional counseling, medication-assisted treatment, harm-reduction strategies, and CRP participation. At the program level, CRPs with diversified funding served approximately twice as many students, were more likely to employ full-time directors, maintain dedicated recovery spaces, and implement structured relapse-management protocols. Despite these strengths, harm-reduction integration remained limited: only 37% of campuses offered naloxone training, and 18% provided fentanyl test strips, despite elevated overdose risk among college-aged populations.
Conclusion & Discussion: CRPs function as critical recovery infrastructures within higher education, serving students with complex and intersecting recovery, mental health, and social needs. Sustainable funding structures were associated with greater institutional capacity and service reach, while harm-reduction implementation lagged behind national overdose-prevention best practices. Institutions should prioritize diversified funding, overdose-prevention education, and inclusive recovery models that reflect contemporary multiple-pathway frameworks.
This study provides the first integrated national profile of CRP students and programs across the United States and Canada. By linking student-level recovery experiences with program-level implementation characteristics, these findings offer actionable guidance for universities, clinicians, and policymakers seeking to build equitable, evidence-informed collegiate recovery ecosystems.
References: Vest, N., Flesaker, M., Timko, C., Humphreys, K., Stein, M., Hoatson, T., & Kelly, J. (in press). Who Participates inCollegiate Recovery Programs? A Survey of Students in the US and Canada. Journal of American CollegeHealth. DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2025.2573107
Vest, N., Flesaker, M., Bohler, R., Timko, C., Kelly, J., Stein, M., & Humphreys, K. (2025). CharacterizingCollegiate Recovery Programs in the United States and Canada: A Survey of Program Directors. Journal ofStudies on Alcohol and Drugs, 86(4), 633-640. PMID: 39440655
Vest, N., Hennessy, E., Castedo de Martell, S., & Smith, R. (2022). A Socio-Ecological Model for CollegiateRecovery Programs. Addiction Research & Theory. DOI: 10.1080/16066359.2022.2123471
Vest, N. A., Reinstra, M., Timko, C., Kelly, J., & Humphreys, K. (2021). Collegiate recovery programming for students in addiction recovery: A PRISMA-guided scoping review. Addictive Behaviors. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.106992
Learning Objectives:
...identify institutional characteristics associated with greater capacity and sustainability of Collegiate Recovery Programs.
...analyze national demographic and clinical patterns among students participating in Collegiate Recovery Programs.
...apply multiple-pathway and harm-reduction frameworks to design inclusive campus recovery supports.
