Carnegie Mellon University

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 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.

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.

External resources for people who use drugs

PA Groundhogs Statewide Drug Checking

Prevention Point Pittsburgh

The Everywhere Project

 

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 

Information about how to use Narcan is available via the Instructions for Use pdf on the Narcan website  and via the video below.

Click here to access Narcan instructions in Chinese and Hindi!

 

$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. 

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 with test strips.

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.

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 

Western PA Substance Use Resources 

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:

Substance Use Workbook

Support for people with loved ones who use substances

5 Ways to Take Care of Yourself When Someone You Love Uses Drugs

Virtual peer-to-peer support for folks with loved ones with substance use disorder:
If someone is on CMU's Pittsburgh campus and would like to attend a meeting for folks with loved ones with substance use disorder, please view the map above for meetings close to CMU's Pittsburgh campus.

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:

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)