Campus Life 101: Staying Sober

The Wall Street Journal featured an article on colleges setting up courses, scholarships and centers to welcome recovering addicts also citing the formation of the Association for Recovery in Higher Education to aid those Americans seeking treatment for substance abuse, in the 18 to 24 age range- the fastest growing demographic. During the decade ended in 2009, treatment providers say the number of students in that age range seeking help more than doubled.  The article went on to say that “Left to fend for themselves amid opportunities and pressure to partake, students often drop out or flunk out. College administrators say booze and drug usage plays a role in the 20% dropout rate of among college freshmen.”  Our own Dennis Marcellino, a celebrity musician, author and inspirational speaker, is a past member of Sly & the Family Stone (the #1 band in the world in 1970 and voted as one of the top 10 bands of all time by MSNBC), The Elvin Bishop Group and The Tokens, famous for “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” As an entertainer, he abused alcohol and drugs for 18 years (29 years ago) and not only lived to tell about it (unlike a number of his other colleagues), but he’s also developed a very successful program that leads to a permanent end to abuse and addictions.