Substance Abuse and Recovery Support at M State
Research supports the positive role your educational experience can have on your sobriety,* and M State is by your side on the path to recovery. Your college experience will help you identify new ways to actively shape your future. It will also help you gain new skills, develop your interests, and gain greater self-confidence in your abilities. Explore this page to connect with information and resources that will help you succeed as you work towards your personal and professional goals.
*DiRosa & Scoles, 2019
Recovering, learning, thriving
"Beginning my educational journey shortly after exiting an in-treatment substance abuse program was something I was very nervous about. However ... I have had an overwhelmingly positive experience here at MState.
"I felt like [my advisor] was “on my team” keeping me healthy and making sure my school never put too much stress on my sobriety. In fact, my school, development of my curiosity, the skills being built, the feelings of competence and self-efficacy being built up, have made a huge positive impact on my sobriety.
"That’s not to say it has been easy. It has not. And there certainly have been times when the stress of school has taken me to the edge of my bandwidth ... and I am tempted to regress to my old coping mechanisms. However, keeping active in the recovery community, still attending weekly 12-step meetings, and a couple of months of out-patient counseling to help deal with the stressors of real life have made all of my success possible.
"Healthy coping skills are only useful in the moment, and for long-term positive change to occur ... one must develop healthy and fulfilling human relationships, hope, and a larger sense of purpose in life, and my time here at MState has been vital for me in doing these things."
-Anonymous
Counter urges and reduce stress
DEADS acronym
DEADS is a useful acronym to help when you are facing the urge to use substances:
Deny: “Deny” the urge a place in your mind. Refuse to give in to the thoughts or behaviors. Instead, engage in other activities that can take your mind off the craving.
Escape: Recognize what is causing you to feel this urge and physically remove yourself from the location, setting, or group of individuals.
Accept: Acknowledge that urges will happen during the recovery process and show yourself grace. Practicing mindfulness techniques can help this process.
Distract: Engage in a distracting activity for 5-30 minutes, depending on your needs. These can be activities like reading or exercising or calling a friend.
Substitute: Our mindset can easily remind us of past failures. Instead, remind yourself of your successes and continued effort to be sober. For each negative thought or feeling, replace it with a positive and rational choice.
DEADS worksheet and additional recovery tools
5-4-3-2-1 Stress Reduction Strategy
Grounding strategies help to reorient your thoughts to the present rather than your stressor. When paired with deep, slow breathing, it can activate your parasympathetic nervous system to return to a calmer state.
5 Identify five things you see around you
4 Acknowledge four things you can touch
3 Notice three things you can hear
2 Acknowledge two things you can smell
1 Identify one thing you can taste
