UNCW’s recreation therapy major can teach students how to assist recovery of addicts

Dana Weber | Staff Writer

Addiction, one of the many diagnoses surrounding mental health, comes with a stigma that many work to acknowledge and prevent. Recreation therapists—a subset of therapy in which professionals use physical activities to rehabilitate individuals struggling with a broad range of physical or mental problems—at UNCW and beyond have studied for years how best to work with individuals struggling with addiction. A study by Sarah Maclean featured in the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that especially when paired with other therapies, recreation therapy is particularly effective for those struggling with substance abuse.  

Whether the addiction comes from abusing drugs or alcohol, there is a scientific and psychological effort to further understand what addiction truly is. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, addiction is classified as a disease; it is chronic and progressive, and those who do not seek treatment can die.

There are four progressive levels of substance abuse: use, abuse, dependence and addiction, according to NIDA. Addiction is a maladaptive pattern of behavior, and those who are addicted to a substance require therapeutic interventions in order to recover fully.

One means of therapy for those who are trying to recover from addiction comes from enjoyable physical activities, which is one of the focuses of recreation therapy. According to Terry Robertson and Terry Long, editors of the book Foundations of Recreation Therapy, recreation therapy is the purposeful use of leisure-based interventions to improve functional abilities.

“In general, recreation therapy supports the rehabilitation of individuals who struggle with addictions by teaching them how to live a fulfilling substance-free lifestyle,” stated Dr. Cara Gray, a professor at UNC Wilmington’s recreation therapy department.

“Often, these individuals do not know how to enjoy leisure without the use of substances,” Gray added. “Additionally, the people and environments they surround themselves with enable or support the use of substances.”

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Addiction, about 60 percent of college students drank alcohol in the past month, and two thirds of this percentage reported binge drinking within that same timeframe. While these behaviors are not necessarily consistent with the definition of addiction, the frequent use of these substances for leisurely purposes can pose a threat to students’ overall health.  Ultimately, many students do end up addicted to substances.

“In order to make the changes needed for a healthy lifestyle, recreation therapy helps the individual gain a deeper understanding of who they are, the things they value, as well as identifying personal goals to achieving during and after treatment,” Gray explained.

The recovery process of recreation therapy “is done through a variety of interventions,” said Gray. According to her understanding, recreation therapy helps individuals “develop knowledge about themselves, community resources, leisure, recreation opportunities, as well as the skills to access and engage in these individual or community leisure or recreational pursuits.”

Although addiction is often a life-long battle, therapeutic recreation has been found to give those recovering a long-term means of working toward sobriety through engagement in an activity that they are passionate about. These activities can allow a person struggling with addiction to transition into a healthier lifestyle.


If you or anyone you know struggles with addiction, the staff of UNCW’s alcohol and drug intervention program Crossroads is available on campus to help.