CMU Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) & Harm Reduction
Whether you are in recovery from substance use, considering recovery, taking a break, or seeking resources for safer use, the CMU Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) can provide you with affirming supports that help promote a healthy, balanced, and meaningful life on campus.
For more information about support meetings, social events, projects or related programs, please subscribe to our monthly newsletter. You may also email recovery@andrew.cmu.edu or leave an anonymous suggestion in our Substance Use Supports Suggestion Box.
Peer Support Meeting
Meet with a Peer Health Advocate (PHA) who gets it. Students can schedule with a CMU student in recovery to talk about navigating their relationship with alcohol, drugs, or any behavior while in college. PHAs are confidential reporting sources. What is shared there, stays there, unless there is a concern about a student's immediate safety or someone else’s.
When? Schedule with Teresa or email recovery@andrew.cmu.edu to set up a time that works best for you.
Where? Virtual or on campus in Morewood Gardens D-Tower Conference Room (1060 Morewood Ave).
Directions? The entrance is located in the right corner of the courtyard on Morewood Ave. Find us behind the shuttle stop and across the street from the Greek quad.
We use SAMHSA's working definition of recovery to refer to a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential.
Recovery Ally Trainings
Grow your understanding of substance use disorder. Learn about local resources, and best practices for supporting folks and combating stigma.
To request a Recovery Ally Training for a specific department, group, organization, please email recovery@andrew.cmu.edu.
Free Narcan
Narcan nasal spray is available on campus. Narcan is a brand of naloxone - a medication that reversals overdoses caused by opioids.
To get Narcan, visit a Wellness To Go Vending Machine or request it from UHS.
How to request a Narcan kit from UHS:
- Log into HealthConnect
- Go to “Messages”
- Select “New Message”
- Select “Overdose Prevention Supplies Order”
- Choose “Narcan,” “Fentanyl Drug Test Strips,” or both and click “Send”
- Pick up your supplies from the UHS front desk
Information about how to use Narcan is available via the Instructions for Use pdf on the Narcan website and via the video below.
$2 Fentanyl Drug Test Strips
Fentanyl drug testing strips are available on campus. They are a proactive measure that people can use to check their drugs (cocaine, pills, etc.) prior to use to know if what they are consuming has fentanyl in it.
To get fentanyl test strips, visit a Wellness To Go Vending Machine or request them from UHS.
To request fentanyl test strips for pickup at UHS, follow the same steps for Narcan request listed above.
Information about how to use fentanyl test strips is available via the page How to Test Your Drugs Using Fentanyl Test Strips. Instructions are also included and provided by UHS with every request.
QTBIPOC Supports
Access to culturally responsive mental health and substance use support is vital. Below are a few resources developed by and for Black, Indigenous, People of Color:
Substance use resources and referrals
If someone is a student and would like to talk privately with a Health Promotion staff person about their relationship with substances, they may self schedule via HealthConnect.
If someone is interested in receiving a clinical assessment for substance use, they may be connected with a local provider via the Health Promotion department, or reach out to someone from the list of clinical resources included in the "Map of Substance Use and Addiction Resources in Pittsburgh" above. Onala Recovery Center partners with Gateway to offer free, walk-in assessments with no identifiable information needed from 9:30-3:30 every Friday.
If someone is curious about exploring their relationship with substances and is not interested in talking with a professional about their use at this time, the free, printable workbook linked below may be helpful:
Support for people with loved ones who use substances
Supporting People Who Use Substances: A breif guide for friends and family
Mental Health Supports
Substance use disorder is a mental health condition, and it also often occurs simultaneously with another mental health condition such as anxiety, depression, bipolar, PTSD, eating disorder, etc.
On campus mental health supports:
- CMU Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS)
- TimelyCare at CMU
- Mental Health First Aid Training
- Health Promotion Appointments:Stress, Sleep, Substance Use, Gender Affirming Care Navigation, Sexual Health. Schedule your appointment through HealthConnect or call UHS at 412-268-2157 and select option 2.
Sober/substance-free roommate matching
This Sober/Substance-Free Roommate Matching form serves as a roommate matching tool for students who attend Pittsburgh colleges/universities and are looking for roommates who are in recovery or are abstaining from substance use.
Accommodations for people with substance use disorder
Did you know that substance use disorder is protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? The Office of Disability Resources can provide students with responsive, reasonable accommodations. Faculty and staff are able to access Disability Services through Human Resources.
Crisis Hotlines:
List originated in National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network
- Trans Lifeline
1-877-565-8860
Hotline for trans people staffed by trans people - BlackLine
1 (800) 604-5841
24/7 Text or Call Hotline: a space for peer support, counseling, witnessing and affirming the lived experiences to folxs who are most impacted by systematic oppression with an LGBTQ+ Black Femme Lens. - Crisis Text Line
741741
Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor - DeQH
908-367-3374
Hotline for South Asian/Desi LGBTQ individuals, family, and friends - GLBT National Help Center
1-888-843-4564
Hotline with peer-counseling and local resources. - GLBT National Youth Talk Line
1-800-246-7743
Hotline for youth (up to age 25) with peer-counseling and local resources. - Trevor Project Suicide Prevention Hotline
1-866-488-7386
Crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth (ages 13-24)