Addiction.com Launches College Series to Ease Students’ Transition to Campus Life

Addiction.com, a comprehensive website dedicated to addiction and recovery, kicks off a new series called Off to College 2015: The First Six Weeks that aims to help college students make a healthy transition to campus life. The first six weeks are critical for a first-year college student’s success. Research shows that one-third of all freshman students fail to re-enroll for their second year of college. Challenges students face during all four years at college include:

• Heavy drinking
• Drug use (both prescription and illegal drugs)
• Eating disorders
• Stress, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues

“We work with a lot of first years who have drug and alcohol problems because they have a lot of freedom on campus,” says Joni Ogle, LCSW, CSAT, director of the young adult drug rehab program at Promises Treatment Centers in Los Angeles. “Typically, substance use was a problem in high school, but they did a good job of hiding it,” she says. “At college, no one is watching, and there is always someone to party with.” Often, college students are “chronologically young adults but emotionally they’re adolescents.”

For the Off to College series, the Addiction.com staff is working in partnership with CASAColumbia, Child Mind Institute, and the JED Foundation to spread the prevention message and reach more college students and their parents during the critical first weeks of college. All four organizations share a common goal to prevent substance abuse and other mental health issues as well as provide information on when and where to get help when it’s needed most.

The Off to College 2015: The First Six Weeks series will run from August 28 through October 9 and will provide expert advice and resources students and families can rely on throughout the fall and spring semesters.

About Addiction.com

Addiction.com is an online destination for those dealing with chemical and process addictions, the millions of Americans living in recovery, and the many more who love those struggling with addiction and mental disorders. Through helpful articles, blogs by leading experts, informational videos, meeting and therapist finders, infographics, recipes and dozens of other resources, Addiction.com builds community, awareness and a better understanding of addiction as a chronic but treatable disease.

Addiction.com is owned by Elements Behavioral Health, a family of behavioral health programs located throughout the United States. The Elements Behavioral Health® family of programs offers comprehensive, innovative treatment for substance abuse, sexual addiction, trauma, eating disorders, and other mental health disorders. Through its programs, the company is committed to delivering clinically sophisticated treatment that promotes permanent lifestyle change, not only for the patient but for the entire family network. For more information, visit elementsbehavioralhealth.com