The decision to become sober is not an easy choice to make. When Sarah Stillerman sought treatment at the age of 22 years old, she decided to change her life for the better and commit to sobriety. Today, she is living a healthy lifestyle and filled with support from groups like the Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) at IUPUI.
Now, more than a decade after making that initial lifestyle change, Stillerman is a returning college student while also balancing a full-time job, managing her sobriety and enjoying her life. She joined the CRC to become involved in the IUPUI and Indianapolis community.
"As soon as I had heard about this being an option to be a part of, I said 'yes, sign me up,'"Stillerman said. "Some of the most important things for my recovery are the connections, staying out of my head and having fun in sobriety."
Stillerman chose IUPUI for the School of Social Work. Her goal is to become a therapist who specializes in substance use. Meanwhile, Stillerman continues to be an advocate for those affected by substance use disorder and currently works as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist with Community Health.
"Recovery is a lifestyle process," she said. "My disease is not curable, but it is treatable, and I have to maintain my sobriety on a daily basis. Here I am 11 years into it, and I learned to change my lifestyle to fit a style of recovery."
As September is National Recovery Month, Stillerman wants everyone struggling with substance use disorder to know that recovery is possible and you don’t have to do it alone.
"National Recovery Month normalizes our disease and allows the community to come together," she said. "Just like everything else that recognizes people’s abilities and disabilities, it brings together that connection and shows people that it is okay to recover out loud. I am not anonymous. I am out there. I am loud, and I am proud about it. I want people to know that recovery is possible."
The CRC is the first of its kind in Indiana. In 2014, IUPUI became the first college to have a recovery group, and now 4.5% of undergraduate students identify as being in recovery for alcohol or drug use. It has become a place for students to turn to whether they are exiting treatment centers or just want to make sure they are in a good place mentally.
"We have had people call our office from treatment centers and say 'I am almost done with treatment, and I want to make sure I have a good plan in place for when I come back to campus,'" Eric Teske, director of Health and Wellness Promotion, said. "For some people, it's a lot different than that. They are in recovery and maybe have been sober for five to 10 years."
Learn more about the CRC by visiting their website, and connect with them on Instagram and Twitter.