Club works to help students live free of substance abuse

Patrick Kempfer, Staff Writer

Madison College has a reputation for its many clubs and organizations. A wide variety of interests are indulged in the extra-curricular activities offered through membership in the plethora of student clubs and organizations at Madison College. Finding the “right club” can be a challenge for any student, and every individual is encouraged to seek answers to the myriad of questions surrounding each club, but for the sake of this article, we will focus on one.

A new student club is quietly emerging, and its members want you to know that there is a place for every student at the Live Free-MC table. The Live Free-Madison College club is a student community resource and asset to students living with substance use disorders, in recovery from a substance use disorder, or who want to support the recovery movement in their collegiate community.

Live Free is designed and shaped after a UW-Madison student organization of the same name, and is part of a much bigger collegiate recovery community that exists all over the United States. Collegiate recovery programs are offered to students seeking alternatives to the clichés of college student activities, i.e. marijuana use, alcohol and stimulant abuse, unhealthy sleep habits, etc. Collegiate recovery clubs are also a place of universal inclusion, and hold no standard of what recovery “should look like.” Many of us are in recovery, in one form or another, and issues surrounding eating disorders, poor body image, anxiety, and codependency are no exception.

What Live Free-MC hopes to accomplish this semester is establishing a firm foundation on all of the Madison College campuses, with the help of fundraising events, film showings, recovery advocacy activities, and weekly support meetings for those seeking help and guidance on a peer level.
Look for it on The Link, and click “join organization” to become a part of the only recovery club on the Madison College scene. Become an active member of Live Free-MC by attending its weekly All Recovery Meetings, bi-weekly business meetings, or attending any one of the upcoming club events.