SACRAMENTO, Calif. — UC Davis student Ashlyn Reed said her addiction to nicotine has been a struggle for several years and hampered almost every aspect of her life.
“I wasn't eating healthy," she said. "I wasn't sleeping as well. And a lot of people don't realize that your anxiety is a lot worse.”
Reed said "was" because it has been six months of sobriety, on her fourth time trying to quit. The fourth-year student credits a large portion of her ability to fight her addiction to the Aggies 4 Recovery program run by the university.
“I would say that if I was not introduced to Aggies 4 Recovery right now, I would probably still be addicted to nicotine," Reed said. "People say that it can take anywhere from seven to 11 times to quit. It's one of the hardest drugs to quit because of this. It is so addictive.”
A 2023 American College Health Association survey shows that 1.6% of UC undergraduates are in some form of drug or alcohol recovery.
The university system estimates that existing programs served 4,000 students last year. Not every UC campus has recovery programs, and there is a growing push to make funding available.
Stephanie Lake, a coordinator for UC Davis' program, noted that their program is extremely important.
“I did have a student last year that we had to use Narcan [on]," said Lake. "Not me, myself, but the university used Narcan four different times. He took four different Percocet from four different people. They all had fentanyl. He almost died. We sent him to treatment. The good news is he's now graduating, doing really well because he had Aggies 4 Recovery.”
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Lake said many more could use their program but don’t know about it due to limited funding and her inability to spend time on the program, as she is also a counselor for students. But she said she's thankful to have her program and wishes all campuses did.
“People that are in recovery, that are part of this program, their grade point averages are better," Lake said. "Their graduation rates are better.”
Lake said the campus will be getting a full-time coordinator this fall who will be able to focus solely on growing the program's visibility.
Due to her involvement with the program, Reed said she hopes to help others as a career.
“I'm currently working on my bachelor's degree," Reed said. "And then, I plan on applying to a few different grad schools for an MFT program to become a therapist.”
That way, she said, she can help others find the support she did — so that they, like her, can live a better life.