Editor’s Note: This story includes mention of drug use and addiction. Resources are available here.
At first, James Fry didn’t tell his friends he was part of a recovery community. The IU senior left it vague, saying he was going to a meeting. Calling it “recovery” felt intense.
“But slowly, I kind of fell in love with it,” Fry said.
Fry, among other students, was at the Collegiate Recovery Community cookout on Friday. The CRC is a group dedicated to helping students make progress in their recovery from substance abuse. Coordinator Samantha Reitz said the event had two goals.
“The purpose of the cookout is a chance to not only celebrate the students in the program who want to attend but also bring awareness to the larger IU community that we exist,” Reitz said. “We're cool, normal people. And also, we have fun just like anyone else does, whether we're partying or not or using a substance or not.”
Meagan Barnhart, interim director of Substance Use Intervention Services, said the CRC frequently hosts sober events so students can spend time together without using substances.
“Because oftentimes the complaint is that, you know, it feels like there's not much to do outside of drinking on this campus,” Barnhart said. “So, what else can we do out there? And that's what CRC tries to fill the gaps on.”
Junior Maddox Dempsey said it’s difficult to be in recovery while at IU, which he described as a big drinking school.
“And as someone who couldn't really drink, I felt like I couldn't really socialize with people,” Dempsey said. “Now, I've kind of figured out that there are a lot of activities that you can do that don't involve alcohol. So, I think it's gotten a lot easier.”
Dempsey got involved with CRC at the beginning of his sophomore year after his substance use became an issue for his family. He said he's gone to every meeting since.
“I found the CRC, which is great because it doesn't cost anything, you don't have to worry about like insurance,” Dempsey said. “And it still met the requirements that I needed to get through my early recovery.”
Similar to Dempsey, Fry first joined the CRC because of his family. Now, he said it’s part of who he is.
“I wish I had been coming for my whole four years,” Fry said.
He joined in January 2025, at the beginning of his final semester at IU. He also started inviting other people.
“And, you know, I was even asking some of my friends like, ‘Hey, do you want to go to this too?’” Fry said. “Because I know a lot of people struggle with substances in silence.”
That reticence is something Reitz noticed when she transitioned from working in recovery with the larger Bloomington community to serving IU students.
“For example, in community mental health, when someone went to rehab, they were stoked and we were screaming ‘recovery’ from the rooftops for them, cheering them on, everything,” Reitz said. “Here, a lot of the students don’t even necessarily want their friends to know that they're part of it.”
Fry said students make excuses about not having enough time to go to recovery groups, but he doesn’t buy it.
“It's an hour,” Fry said. “Like, just come for an hour. Come hang out. Come talk.”
IU students had the opportunity to do just that during the cookout, which featured Jimmy John’s sandwiches, free plants and lawn games like Connect Four.
Reitz said she chose a cookout because it’s an excuse to be outside and those events are common in the larger Bloomington recovery community. Plus, it gives the CRC visibility, she said, and hopefully entices people to join the programs.
Reitz said the CRC can connect students with treatment providers in Bloomington and elsewhere, if needed.
“And so, the hope is that they come here, but that they also get immersed in the Bloomington recovery community,” Reitz said.
Dempsey said the communal aspect of CRC eases the sense of isolation and encourages him.
“It’s fun to get to see yourself grow and get to grow alongside people and get to hear their stories,” Dempsey said. “Just to kind of match up your journey with someone else's. You don’t feel so alone.”
A list of resources is available here if you or someone you know has a drug addiction.
