Collegiate Recovery Day 2022

April 15 is officially #CollegiateRecoveryDay - worldwide! And while it may remain a far more prominent occasion in the US, than the UK, the conversation about student recovery is building.

Today’s the day! April 15 is Collegiate Recovery Day, a day of celebration started by the Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE), upon their launch in 2010. The day, part of Collegiate Recovery Week, marks the progress of Collegiate Recovery Programmes (CRPs) over the last few decades.

Collegiate Recovery Day in the UK

It’s unlikely that many people in the UK will know much about this celebration, on April 15. And not because it coincides with Good Friday, but due to the lack of CRPs that have been formed in Great Britain so far. 

At the time of writing, only the University of Birmingham’s Better Than Well project, and our own work at Teesside University, can be considered on-campus programmes of this model. That said, this remains significant progress, as only three years ago even these two burgeoning CRPs did not exist.

Collegiate Recovery Day in the US

Across the Atlantic Ocean, you can guarantee that more people will be aware of, and celebrating the occasion. At this moment in time, there are 156 CRPS active in the country, with each one integrating the concept in a way that is unique to the local population and culture.

Building on the work of CRPs that started at Brown University, in 1977, it’s fair to say that US colleges have been pioneers of this movement so far.

What Collegiate Recovery Day means to you

So, it’s highly likely that if you’re reading this, it’s the first time you’ve ever heard of this occasion, and even the concept of a CRP. However, you’re far from alone in joining this movement, even if you’re based in the UK.

Dedicated University Sober Societies are becoming more prominent in the UK, as is the movement of students driving them. The stigma around ‘addiction’ and ‘alcoholism’ is also slowly dissipating, following a long focus on that which surrounds mental health.

So, that leaves us in a positive and exciting place. Firstly because we expect to see more CRPs pop up at UK universities in the next couple of years, and secondly because this means more people will be talking about recovery.

And the result? More people becoming well, at this most important of times in life. And more demonstrating what is possible in recovery.

So who knows - maybe in 2023, ‘24, certainly some time soon, Collegiate Recovery Day will be a more prominent Hashtag in all of our feeds. And we hope you join us in making that possible!

#CollegiateRecoveryDay #CollegiateRecoveryWeek