The Campus Involvement Center at Ohio University has launched a program that supports women in the Athens area in their efforts to heal from drug and alcohol substance use disorders. The program, entitled “The Write to Recover,” hosts women from the Rural Women’s Recovery (RWR) Program in Athens at the university once a month. The participants are provided with a safe space to express their emotions without judgement by writing in their own personal journal.
Each woman is given a notebook binder to decorate however they choose. During the program, they are given journal prompts such as “my childhood was . . .” or “the last time I cried was . . .” which helps the women in the process of recovery. Participants are also encouraged to read their past entries to see how they’ve changed and grown throughout the program.
When speaking on the goals of the program, Ann Addington, the assistant director of health promotion at the Campus Involvement Center, said that “first and paramount is getting them the help they need. The women are getting help through RWR and journaling helps them open up and accept they need help.”
“Most women have never been to a university before and they feel they don’t belong,” added Addington. “Bringing women to a college environment expands their vision for their futures to include the potential of a college education. Some of the women have attended college in the past, but dropped out due to a substance use disorder. The program introduces them to the opportunity that they can get an education.”
The name of the program was chosen by the women at RWR because they felt anyone with this kind of disorder as the right to access recovery resources. Addington believes that “it’s good for the women to know that the people at RWR Care about you and the University also cares about you.”