US Opioid Epidemic: Universities Will Offer Substance-Free Housing To Students Battling Drug Addiction?

Following a set pattern, Ryan would join a college with the best of objectives on his mind; however he'd eventually succumb to drugging and drinking and then drop out. But things changed three years back when he was prepping to enroll in what would be his fifth school, the University of Miami.

According to Ryan while he was prepping to become student of the University of Miami, he had a "white light moment."

Being aware that staying sober was quite a challenging task for him, Ryan made a decision to try something that he had never tried before. Enrolling himself at Rutgers University, Ryan joined the Recovery House, a campus that provide "substance-free" housing and activities specifically for those students who are in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, TheFiscalTimes noted.

The help Ryan found there not only encouraged him to stay sober but also helped him graduate with distinction in May.

Ryan, 25, who requested to be identified only by his first name noted that the "safe space" was full of individuals who were there for the same purpose as him. He added, no one there talked about either getting drunk or going out.

U.S. opioid epidemic is emphasizing on a plan Rutgers developed back in 1998. This coming school year, Oregon State University will provide substance-free housing to its students. According to a law signed by Republican Gov. Chris Christie, all New Jersey-based state universities and colleges should offer sober housing even if a quarter of the students reside on campus.

This crucial move comes in the midst of new research that centers on the impact of accidental overdoses from using strong prescription painkillers. The new research reveals that the drugs may also lead to heart-related deaths among other risks.

The research analyzed over 45,000 patients and found those using opioid painkillers were 64 percent more likely to die within just six months of starting cure. Patients taking other prescriptions pain medicine, on the other hand had a comparatively lower risk of dying. Accidental overdoses resulted in nearly 18 percent of the deaths among opiod users as opposed to 8 percent of the other subjects, according to the results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (via DailyProgress).

That being said, sober dorms are without question, a giant leap in the recovery moment and particularly unique as "they get to the heart of the beast," Dr. Robert DuPont, who is a psychiatrist specializing in drug abuse noted.