ONEbox Opioid Overdose Emergency Box

DuWell is dedicated to fostering the health and well-being of everyone by actively working to prevent substance use and misuse. The prevalent substance misuse issue on campus involves alcohol, while other substances, including tobacco, cannabis, and prescription medications like study drugs and painkillers, are also noted. If you're facing challenges with substance use, DuWell provides a range of resources to offer support.

Signs of a negative influence of alcohol, cannabis, or other substances in your life:

• Increased tolerance, requiring more for the desired effect
• Ceasing engagement in once-enjoyable activities due to substance use
• Significant time devoted to obtaining, using, or recovering from alcohol or drugs
• Alterations in appetite or sleep routines
• Abrupt mood shifts, irritability, or episodes of anger
• Decreased motivation

We welcome those in our community who are in recovery or allies to recovery.

Recovery Support Group at Duke

Struggling with addiction? Seeking support for your recovery journey? Join our weekly seminar meetings where students discuss issues they face as they pursue recovery at Duke.

The Recovery Support Group at Duke provides a caring and supportive environment for students working towards recovery from addictions. We communicate a message of hope, link students with recovery-related services and persons in recovery, and facilitate the development of healthy and sustainable habits of mind, body, and spirit.

What is recovery?

Recovery is a lifestyle and long-term journey towards freedom from addiction and substance use through abstinence. However, while remaining abstinent from substance use is important, is only one aspect of long-term recovery. For many of us, the brightest part of our long-term recovery lies in finding a new way of living that seeks to break old habits, understand ourselves better, and even enrich our spiritual lives. It is in these aspects that we find freedom from the obsessions and painful cycles of our past.

The details of each person’s journey on the road of recovery can look different. Some may use 12-step or SMART programs as a foundation for their recovery while others may set a goal with a therapist, medical professional, or spiritual mentor. For some, their recovery may include MAT, or medically-assisted treatment, using substances like methadone or suboxone administered by licensed professionals to help them abstain and remain sober.

No matter what each individual’s road looks like, the Recovery Support Group is united in our common bond of seeking freedom from addiction, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Additional Resources

• DukeReach: DukeReach provides case management services to students in recovery or returning from a leave of absence for ongoing coordination of care and referrals to resources on and around campus. For more information contact DukeReach.

• AA Meetings: Alcoholics Anonymous® is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.  For Durham-based AA meetings, click here.

• Al-Anon: Al-Anon provides friends and relatives of those with a substance use disorder an opportunity to gather together to share their experience, strength, and hope in order to solve their common problems.

• NA Meetings: Narcotics Anonymous  provides help from peers and offers an ongoing support network for substance abusers who wish to pursue and maintain a drug-free lifestyle. the name, Narcotics Anonymous, is not meant to imply a focus on any particular drug; NA’s approach makes no distinction between drugs including alcohol. For Durham-based NA meetings, click here.

• Duke Marine Lab - Recovery Resources: For students taking classes at the Marine Lab in Beaufort, NC and looking for support, click here for resources.

We recognize that parents and families are the first line of defense against many unhealthy decisions that students make.

It is important to have open and honest conversations with your student about their personal well-being.  Specifically, having non-judgmental discussions about alcohol and other drug use helps educate and guide them towards decisions that keep them happier and healthier while they are at Duke.