06/04/2026
Despite Penn State’s party culture, peer support helps students in recovery redefine their identities
In 2022, Whitney published a study in Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly (ATQ) examining 12 students enrolled in recovery programs at three universities officially designated as party schools. The study found that building community allowed students an alternative identity and social habit in an environment organized around substance use. Whitney was a student at the University of Colorado when he decided to get sober. He realized redefining the city of Boulder meant redefining his perception of the university’s culture.
“It felt at first that it was impossible to get sober in a place like Boulder,” Whitney said. “Like, if I was pulling out of alcohol and drug use, that I was pulling out of the main culture thing that was happening.” Once Whitney gained traction in recovery, he started replacing the “party” in front of “town” with the identities he was growing into. “It felt like a fitness town,” Whitney said. “It felt like a climbing town, because I started getting into climbing. And it started to feel like a kind of entrepreneurial, techie town. Whitney said he rediscovered Boulder as he rediscovered himself. He thinks students at the CRC do the same in State College.
The benefits of peer support show up across broader research, too. A nationwide survey published in the National Library of Medicine found the mean GPA of 486 students at 29 collegiate recovery programs was 3.22 — higher than the overall undergraduate student body at their respective institutions. Whitney said many might guess recovering students’ future prospects are average at best. However, that’s not where they’re landing. Students in these peer recovery programs academically perform at some of the highest rates he has ever studied, he said. When many students get deeper into these recovery programs, a stronger sense of vocation and commitment to their degrees follows suit, the ATQ found. They become focused on different priorities, like classes, extracurriculars and work.
Editor’s Note: Two of the names in this story have been changed to protect the identity of the individuals involved. The Daily Collegian has verified through fact-checking that these individuals
