A&M REVIEWS ADDICTION RECOVERY PROGRAMS

Officials at Texas A&M said they want to learn more about a program Texas
Tech University created, which helps students who are recovering from
alcohol and drug addiction. Texas Tech received a $250,000 federal grant to
create a model of its 18-year-old program for students recovering from
alcohol and drug addiction that can be replicated by other universities.

The program includes scholarships for recovering students and on-campus
12-step meetings and classes on addiction, said Kitty Harris, director of
the Center for the Study of Addiction at Texas Tech.

"It's not that hard to get sober," Harris said, "It's hard to stay sober."

Dennis Reardon, chemical dependency counselor for the A&M Student
Counseling Service, said he would like to find out if the program would
work at A&M.

"We do have a significant issue with alcohol here," he said, "But, whether
or not our campus would lend itself to a recovery program, I don't know."

Reardon said the A&M Department of Student Life includes an Alcohol and
Drug Education Programs office that provides help with prevention and
education, but not recovery.

The University of Texas modeled its Center for Students in Recovery, which
will open in the fall, after the Texas Tech program.

Recovering from chemical dependency is just like recovering from any other
major illness, said Leigh Sebera, health education coordinator with the
Alcohol and Drug Education Programs at UT Health Services.

"It's physical, mental, emotional and spiritual," Sebera said, "and it
requires a lot of support."

Students in the Texas Tech and UT programs are required to participate in
12-step meetings, which are offered on campus.

Although A&M does not offer on-campus 12-step meetings, there are
Alcoholics Anonymous groups in the Bryan-College Station community, said
Jennifer Ford, program coordinator for A&M ADEP.

The Texas Tech and UT programs also include classes on addiction and recovery.

Students at Texas Tech take Seminar in Recovery, a one-credit hour academic
course, every semester. Students at UT must complete Recovery 101, a
three-credit hour course.

Reardon said he wants students to have the best possible experiences while
A&M, and that alcohol and other drugs can hinder that.

"It's important for a person to be able to deal with alcohol and drug
issues for their future," he said, "When they leave here, we want them to
be good employees, good supervisors, good citizens and good family members.
The abuse of alcohol and other drugs simply gets in the way of that."

Harris said university officials from around the nation have called her and
expressed interest in imitating Texas Tech's program.

"I think because of the huge amount of publicity that college binge
drinking is receiving, people are taking notice that a lot of these kids
are not just binge drinkers, they're alcoholics," Harris said.