Claremont Recovery Collective
We are a new campus resource for students who are seeking sobriety, harm-reduction, trying to distance themselves from substance/alcohol use, or feel alienated by campus social life.
As fellow students—not administrators or therapists—who know the journey of recovery, we provide a safe space for open sharing, away from the pressures of college social life. Our meetings will occur every Sunday from 8-9pm in the Annex, roughly following the 12-step model.
Nobody is the facilitator at CRC. We operate under the group principle of everyone knowing themselves—their story and experience—the best. This is not a place for unsolicited advice or therapeutic expertise.
We are open to feedback, suggestions, and most of all, here to support you however is best! If you’ve had a rough weekend, semester, or just have a desire to cut down on using substances, feel free to hit us up <3. You do not need to be sober to attend—anyone can.
Here’s a list of potential group topics, local sobriety resources, and our guiding principles:
Local Resources:
If you need a buddy to attend any of these meetings or a carpool, please don’t hesitate to let us know!
Local rehabilitation/outpatient centers:
Potential Topics:
1) Setting a 'limit' in Harm Reduction – Why it's important, whether and/or how it works, best practices.
2) Creating Community – Forging connections with sober folks, sober curious, 'normies,' etc. Why multidimensional allyship may be more important than ever, and can forge a healthier community in the 5Cs.
3) Binge Drinking, and why many alcoholics and clinicians find it more challenging to treat than chronic drinking with physical addiction.
4) The taboo against reporting drug dealers on campus, and if, when and how it should be broken.
5) The Designated Driver Dilemma -- How do alcoholics in sobriety avoid becoming responsible for the irresponsible behavior of others?
6) Anonymity in AA and Harm Reduction – How to manage this in a community where everyone seems to know everything. Talking about cutting down or stopping vs. actually doing it, how the former can steal energy needed for the latter.
7) Compare and Despair, Compare and Who Cares – why, left to our own devices, we set harm reduction limits based on what people around us are doing, and why that's usually a terrible idea.
8) Will I Lose My Sense of Humor / Creativity / Spontaneity if I cut down or stop? Show and tell. Bring music, poetry, or art created when not under the influence. How is it different?
9) How do I know I need to cut down or stop? Am I welcome at AA even if I don't drink that much? And where is the line between abuse and addiction? They say once you're an addict, you have to stop completely-- but I know three dudes who were out of control a few semesters/years ago, they cut down and they're doing just fine now.
19) Can I go to AA without doing the steps-- or just skip one or two of them, or substitute some others that I think would work better for my pattern of drinking and using? How can 'one size fits all' possibly fit me?
11) Is AA ever a bad idea? Do people ever learn of more dangerous drugs, or find dealers, or get high at meetings or in sober living? What if you're a very suggestible person-- will you run out and try every drug that you hear about in a meeting? Can a meeting precipitate a relapse?
12) “High-functioning” alcoholics/users? My friends/family tell me that I drink/use a lot, and maybe I do, but my grades are fine and I show up for what I need to.
Format:
*Very subject to change based on needs and wants of the present group!!
1: Opening quote, prayer, or affirmation. ( 30 seconds )
2: Check in: Briefly go around the room, a few sentences about how everyone is doing, and
whether they feel like they need time tonight to process something specific. Anyone may pass or decline
to speak. (5 minutes at most)
3: Open sharing.
4: Brief check out, everyone briefly states how they are feeling, just a few seconds going around
the room. Anyone may pass or decline to speak. (5 minutes max)
5: Closing quote, prayer, or affirmation (may be the same as opening or different.) (30 seconds)
Principles/Rules:
1. Confidentiality: Whatever is shared within the group remains confidential unless another group
member specifically states otherwise. It is inevitable that others outside the group will come up in the
discussion, but try to focus on what’s going on with you, and avoid using full names of third parties.
Also, please do not use the name, or disclose any identifying characteristics, of anyone in the group
when you are outside the group. Avoid gossip-- if you accidentally talk to one group member about
another member who is not present, please do your best to close the loop, and find a way to
respectfully share the information with that person, and the rest of us, at the next meeting so long as
this does not cause harm to anyone. If you spoke harshly or in judgment of others, please take
responsibility for this in good faith; we all make mistakes, even professionals and facilitators. When in
doubt, seek guidance from the facilitator.
2. Respect: There are some general principles that are well accepted in recovery and the social sciences,
such as the idea that insight alone cannot change our behavior with drugs and/or alcohol. It is fine to
share these ideas. However, everyone;s journey is different, and different group members will respond
differently to different approaches. Some parts of the journey may be very straightforward, others not
so much. It is important to strike a balance between speaking up if you hear someone developing a plan that seems ill-considered (though see #3 below) and respecting everyone’s right to find their own way.
We can share and compare our experiences, but should do our best to avoid judgment. Please make
every effort not to interrupt when someone else is speaking. The leader or facilitator may occasionally
interrupt to keep the group on schedule, but the facilitator also welcomes your feedback if this becomes intrusive. Allow each person equal time to share whenever possible. Please turn off mobile phones or, if necessary, set them on vibrate, step outside the group room if you need to take a call, and avoid checking your phone while the group is in session.
3. Advice: You are welcome to ask questions, but please avoid giving advice or making suggestions
unless they are asked for. If you feel you faced a challenge that is similar to another group member’;s
experience, you may feel free to pass along what was helpful to you. Occasionally, you can ask
permission to make a suggestion, either to other group members or to the facilitator, but please avoid
doing so repeatedly or consistently, and avoid asking permission in a way that might make others feel
compelled to comply. Raising your hand, or using the phrase “I am having a reaction to that,” or
something similar, can be used to assess whether the person who just shared would be interested in
hearing your thoughts, but if someone declines to invite your responses, that should be respected.
4. Freedom of Speech: You may choose to share or remain silent. No one will be put on the spot or
forced to talk, and everyone who feels comfortable sharing will be given the chance to do so. The
facilitator may also, on occasion, ask if a particular member is comfortable sharing, particularly if they
have not done so recently, but again, no one will be asked to share repeatedly or in a way that makes it
difficult to refuse. If you feel pressured to talk but don’t want to, say so. Your right to quiet observation
and contemplation will be respected. Group members and the facilitator will work together to create an atmosphere of invited sharing.
5. Feelings: Feelings are neither right nor wrong; they just are. There is no particular way that an individual should feel about using, or not using, drugs and alcohol.