Two years ago, student Matthew Glover, along with Youngstown State University’s Recreation Center, created a 12-step-based drug and alcohol prevention program called YSU for Recovery. This year, the program has been expanded.
In the past, the drug and alcohol prevention program was a service exclusively for students in recovery. Now, YSU for Recovery can provide support to any YSU student, faculty or staff member. The group meets in Kilcawley Center at 12:30 p.m. on Mondays.
“The program changed a little bit. It’s now not just for those that are in recovery, but it can be for anybody,” said Joy Byers, director of campus recreation and student programming. “It could be that you have a father or a mother that is having alcohol or drug abuse, and it can be for if you have a sibling. It can be a resource for anybody.”
Glover said YSU Recovery provides support for individuals suffering from all kinds of addiction including: alcohol, drugs, sex and gambling. He called YSU for Recovery a successful, convenient program for students.
“As a non-trad student myself … my main question coming back into college life was pretty much: where do I fit in? People in recovery, obviously, we’re abstaining from certain substances, and there’s not much for us to do on campus,” he said. “This way, it gives us at least once a week to get together and talk about our stressors — talk about what’s going on, help each other even just around campus.”
Glover explained that YSU for Recovery acts as a nonjudgmental support group.
“The big push right now is breaking the stigma, letting people know its okay that you have a problem with drugs or alcohol or any kind of problem that you have… That there are people there that can help you and there are people who have walked down the same path. They can be a support group,” Glover said.
YSU for Recovery is part of the recreation center’s holistic approach to fitness. Byers indicated that the recreation center is not only interested in physical fitness, but also social and emotional wellness.
“If there are students that are in need we want to be there for them and if there are other ways that we can meet their needs … please don’t hesitate to come talk to us,” Byers said. “We want to be a resource for them.”