The director of Jaywalker U, Janet DeMars, made a quick trip to Lubbock, Texas in February to visit the renowned Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery (CSAR) at Texas Tech. The CSAR is one form of a College Recovery Community (CRC), a phenomenon that is sprouting up at college campuses all over the nation. As more and more treatment centers across the nation are beginning to see younger clients (the number of adolescents in treatment centers increased 65% from 1992 to 2002 compared to only 23% for the general population), colleges are responding by trying to set up CRCs that provide the support needed for young men and women to either start college as a sober young adult or to return to college after their addiction caused them to fail out of college. The focus of the CRCs is to help sober young adults pursue their education and maintain their recovery in the process. Because the rate of high risk drinking on college campuses has not abated, the collegiate environment is a risk for young people in recovery. Not only are campuses seeing daily marijuana use, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse survey at Columbia University (2007) found that the abuse of prescription drugs has increased by 93% while the use of tranquilizers has increased 450%. Unfortunately, almost half of all full-time college students either use prescription drugs or binge drink. The need for CRCs and support services such as Jaywalker U are both necessary and are a welcome safe haven for those who are trying to be sober college students.
Janet DeMars
Program Director
Jaywalker U
