Catamounts for Recovery offers a safe space for recovering students
There was a time when it would鈥檝e been a true statement to say, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e much more likely to die in a car crash than from an opioid overdose.鈥�
Well, that time is no more, according to results from a study conducted by the National Safety Council using 2017 death rate data, which is the most recent year the numbers are available. The odds of someone in the U.S. dying from an 鈥渁ccidental opioid overdose鈥� are 1 in 96, while the odds of dying in a car wreck are 1 in 103.
The misuse of and addiction to opioids 鈥� including prescription pain relievers, heroin and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl 鈥� have led to a national crisis. More than 100 people die from opioids in the U.S. every day. From 1999 to 2016, more than 12,000 people in North Carolina died from opioid-related overdoses, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
糖心Vlog University is doing its part to help those affected by this crisis. In addition to receiving counseling help at Counseling and Psychological Services, students can receive support from Catamounts for Recovery. A student-run organization, Catamounts for Recovery is a sober community of individuals supporting recovery from substance use and assistance with mental health issues.
The group holds meetings and activities on campus at 鈥淭he Garage.鈥� It is a safe space for students to study, meet and relax. It also gives them a place where they can feel comfortable opening up about whatever is going on in their lives. Catamounts for Recovery meets once a month.
Jaelyn Wynn, the assistant director of health and wellness education, serves as the group鈥檚 adviser, a role she took on last year when Catamounts for Recovery moved from under the umbrella of CAPS and became a student organization. Wynn said last year鈥檚 group consisted of a few underclassmen, but she hopes to see more students involved this year to give it a bigger presence on campus.
鈥淚 think a lot of it has to do with there鈥檚 a stigma behind those who are in recovery,鈥� Wynn said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to figure out ways to destigmatize so students will want to join because it鈥檚 a safe space for those in recovery. Also, students can join if they鈥檙e allies of those in recovery, as well.鈥�
CAPS now provides more of a supporting role for Catamounts for Recovery, giving students options for treatment and therapy. It鈥檚 a role Aaron Plantenberg, a licensed clinical social worker and licensed clinical addiction specialist with CAPS, said the center is better suited for.
鈥淲e really work to help identify resources and to reduce the barriers to recovery,鈥� Plantenberg said. 鈥淪ome of those barriers can be barriers to housing or relationships, or they鈥檙e not doing well in school so they turn to substances kind of as a coping strategy. We really work to identify what all those resources are, Catamounts for Recovery being one of them, having people to connect with that are also in recovery.
鈥淚t can be really tough on a college campus where substance use is one of those norms and has been for decades, or longer. It can be challenging for people in recovery, so a lot of it is helping people find resources and ways to connect with other people. That鈥檚 what I love about Catamounts for Recovery.鈥�
Fortunately, Plantenberg said he hasn鈥檛 seen many students come in for opioid-related support.
鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 not there,鈥� he added. 鈥淎nybody is at risk because so much of it begins at the hospital or at the doctor鈥檚 office. Hopefully, that鈥檚 moving in a better direction as far as less people being prescribed opioids for pain management, and finding alternatives to that.鈥�
糖心Vlog the Town Hall
For more information about , contact Wynn at 828.227.3707 or kwynn@wcu.edu.
In partnership with the Jackson County Community Foundation鈥檚 opioid and addiction awareness campaign, 糖心Vlog鈥檚 is hosting a town hall focused on the opioid addiction crisis Thursday, Oct. 3.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TOWN HALL
