Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:16] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, everybody. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone. And guys, I'm on again as just a host of my own. Sheena is not with me, but I'm hoping possibly in the next couple of weeks she will be back. But you know what? We're going to hold it down. It is no big deal. It is just me and you, our ears. We are in the car together and we are having good conversation about life and being healthy and well. And that is what I always wish for you guys is just being healthy and well and, you know, enjoying life. So I am curious as how everybody's doing. Just kind of have your own little self reflection in your head. I mean, we are a good bit into this semester, being that it is September and, you know, I hope classes are going well for everybody. I hope that you are able to keep up with all your zooms, your campus and student organizations, doing stuff with friends. I mean, in a safe distance, of course, and wearing face masks. But yeah, so far it's been a good semester. I've been proud of the students that I've seen coming into the rec center with face masks on. And I know it's hard. I know it's annoying and it's not something that we want to have to do. But you guys have really been rock stars and really been helpful and awesome.
Just keeping up with all the little rules and regulations that we have now. But just a quick little recap if you are tuning into our show. This is fit to be tied and you know, we talk about fitness, we talk about wellness, but we don't just stick to exercising and eating healthy. There's a whole holistic approach to being well and being fit. And that's what we like to focus on. We like to focus on your mental health, your financial health.
If you check out our Alabama wellness wheel, we have about seven, possibly eight categories. I should probably look at that in my spare time. But you know, a lot of categories that we try to hit, especially in the division of student life. And you know, one of Sheena and myself, our biggest things is to bring in our resources for campus partners. And last week we had the counseling center on Dr. Greg Vanderwaal and he was great. Just sharing all the great things that we have going on for you guys and just checking in with your mental health because I know that Corey quarantining and Covid and just, man, it's just kind of a lot to deal with. I know that we all need those little things to help us with throughout the day and the week and the month and the semester. So just remember that your friends over at the division of student life are here for you and we're always going to be here for you. So this week we do have some more guests from the division. We are focusing on collegiate recovery, and it is national recovery month. And that's something that's dear to my heart, especially with family members that I have dealt with, with. With these types of things. And, you know, it's just something that I'm always going to be pro and for. And actually, next week, just to give you a little bit of a, I don't know, inside scoop, I will have a family member on. It will be my brother because you have heard me talk about him, and he's going to make his debut. I promise. I'm way more entertaining than he is.
But you guys will just definitely have to tune in for next week. So, you know, I'm going to take Sheena's words. She always tells us to grab something to Dr.
Wash our hands now that we're in the wake of COVID You know what? Wash your face mask, because I feel like we're not doing that. You should throw that thing in the washer. But we are going to take a little break and then when we come back, we're going to jump right into our show focusing on collegiate recovery. And we have some awesome guests that, you know, quite frankly, I'm ready to have someone else's voice on here, except for just, you know, my voice. Anyway, you guys, we'll catch you on the other side. You're looking to fit to be tied with Sheena and Whitney. And today it's just Whitney on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:04:19] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:04:33] Speaker C: All right, welcome back.
[00:04:34] Speaker B: You're listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7, the capstone on this lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely. I'm trying to drink my nitro cold brew and it's just not in my system yet on this lovely Sunday afternoon. And we are focusing on collegiate recovery this show and national recovery month. And like I said, recovery is something that's dear to my heart. It's something that hits close to home. And I just always love to talk to people about their, you know, their lives, their situations, their circumstances. Because all in all, our show is to educate you guys, the public, the community at the University of Alabama on our services and what we have to offer. So I'm not going to Just ramble anymore because you've probably turned it off by now. But I am going to introduce two students, and honestly, I'm just going to throw it out there. I've got Ben Spellman and aijah Al Akdar, which I had to make sure the H was silent, but welcome, you guys.
[00:05:32] Speaker A: Thanks for having us in.
[00:05:34] Speaker C: Yeah, thanks. So.
[00:05:35] Speaker B: Yeah. And aijah and Ben, I'm so glad y' all are here. And y', all, we are doing this zoom just to remind our listeners because we can't be in the same room together, so, you know, just to create a little cohesiveness. Ben, go ahead and introduce yourself and let us know who you are. You know, what you've been up to. You've been on our show before.
[00:05:52] Speaker A: I have. I was really excited to get to come back on and appreciate the opportunity.
My name is Ben Spellman.
I'm about four and a half years into recovery.
I'm from Center Alabama, which is about 30 miles north of g little town where if you blink as you drive through, you'll miss it.
But this past summer, I graduated undergrad with a bachelor's in addiction recovery sciences. And I'm currently in graduate school here at UA for marriage and family therapy.
[00:06:25] Speaker B: That's awesome. I mean, those are, like, two wonderful things to go hand in hand. You sound like you're, like, on your way, like, just knocking it out. That's awesome. That's awesome. Aijah, what about you?
[00:06:38] Speaker C: Well, I'm Aisha Al Akhdar. I'm insanely nervous all of a sudden, but I'm from Mobile, but I moved around so much through my adolescence and young adulthood that Tuscaloosa is actually the place where I've lived the longest. So at this point, I definitely have a Tuscaloosa heart.
I am a student of anthropology and human and environmental sciences with a focus in addiction and recovery science, similar to Ben. I'm a senior this year, which blows my mind. I started school in 2009, but it takes what it takes, and I came.
I got sober three and a half years ago. And about six months into that journey, the CRC plucked me out of my little my shell and encouraged me to go back to school. And so here I am.
[00:07:21] Speaker B: You know, that's what I love so much about the CRC and just Jaime and Hillary and just, I don't know, they're just really good people and just how they can, you know, look at somebody and find, like, these positive things. And you kind of need that sometimes, just in general, just someone to look at you and say you would be good at, need to do this and just like, almost like point the finger like you've got this. But you know, I kind of. Since this is recovery month, you know, I'm really curious as much as you guys want to share about your own personal stories, if any, for your on your road to recovery, because I know that it looks different for everybody, but at the same time there's some similarities, I feel like.
[00:08:03] Speaker A: Yeah, so for me, going back to, as an early, you know, early part of my life, I can remember just having just, I had just what you would consider a very normal vanilla childhood. Nothing crazy.
I grew up in a very loving family with two parents who are still together to this day. But there was always just something that I just never felt right. You know, I always felt I had my little close group of friends, but always felt like they were closer friends with each other than they were with me. And they were like I was always being left out of something and I was constantly worried about like what other people were thinking about me.
And you know, towards the end of high school, I discovered alcohol for the first time. And you know, that, that, that kind of, that, that got rid of all those feelings and those insecurities and those fears that I had grown up with.
And shortly after graduation, I got involved with opiates for the first time and that led to eventually a divorce.
I, you know, numerous close friends, house, vehicle, just all these things that people would look at and say, well, is that not enough for you to stop? And I just absolutely could not stop. Regardless of what happened around me, my mom would always find a way to tell me that it was going to be different this time. And here's where you messed up last time and that's not going to happen again.
And it led me into a really, really dark place wishing that, you know, I didn't wake up every day, you know, IV heroin use is where the end of the road was, along with alcohol and bouncing in and out of rehabs. And I attempted to attend school here at UA more than once. And you know, through the process of our administrators at the crc, I eventually went off for a while. I ended up in a year long treatment facility that was on the other side of the state. And here I am today and it's been a journey.
[00:10:18] Speaker B: I mean it sounds like it has and I feel like just your story is very similar to my brother's, which we'll get on with him next week. But it's, you know, it's, I'm Always so proud and thankful for people like you guys, because I don't think, you know, when people don't deal with addiction, it's really hard because you're never fully gonna understand, like, me being on the other side of it. Like, I do not have those tendencies. That's not in.
And me and my brother have had this conversation multiple times, and he's like, you're wired differently than I am. And I'm like, I know. Crazy, right? It's just weird. And so, like, I have so much respect for you guys. And I also have so much respect for, you know, the CRC and then all of the, you know, places that you can go for rehab and just working with addiction, it's pretty serious. And I just hope our listeners, you know, it's. If you're ever kind of struggling with something on your own, just knowing that we have these services around and you're seriously not alone. Like, there's plenty of people. I mean, I hate to say there's plenty of people, but at the same time, there are. And there's always somebody that's gonna understand what you're going through, you know?
[00:11:31] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:11:33] Speaker B: And I'm curious as a. I mean, do you have anything to add to that? I know we're coming up on a break pretty soon, but, you know, everybody's situations are different.
[00:11:46] Speaker C: Yeah. I would say, you know, similar to what Ben shared about always feeling like an outsider, I definitely experienced that. I think that was definitely heightened for me, being an Arab American in the post 911 world.
We lived pretty close to the city when I was in elementary and middle school, so that was definitely a tough time. And then, you know, I didn't see the warning signs of what was happening to me while addiction was taking control of my life.
You know, I definitely was introduced to drugs and alcohol in high school, but I went to high school in Switzerland, and what I was doing wasn't illegal, so it was hard for me to see anything as an actual consequence.
And when I. When I look back, I can tell where my problems were catching up with me.
I am a survivor of sexual assault. My first Halloween at the University of Alabama, I was assaulted.
And, you know, I didn't know how to ask for help for that because I was ashamed. And, you know, a friend, quote, unquote, did their best to help me, that they knew how, and they offered me a beer and a Vicodin. And then, you know, it was off to the races. I ended up leaving school, but I always had a good job.
You know, I had Friends, I had a car. I never got evicted from my home. Came close once, though. So it was just really hard to see anything in my life disappearing when I was in the moment. But when I look back on it and I reflect on this decade that I've been in, this journey to try and get a bachelor's degree, you know, I can see a lot of little moments where things are building up, but, you know, you have to. You have to experience those things for yourself.
I had people in my life that were trying to tell me that I needed help, but I couldn't see it, and so I couldn't want it. And so when I. When I look back on my story, the things I like to highlight for other people are, you know, those little. That.
That cornerstone, that moment when it was like, how do I survive this in a substance with my survival mechanism? That's not good. That's a problem. Because if your solution for anything is coming from outside of yourself, that's not going to be permanent and lasting.
The drugs and the alcohol helped me until they were hurting me. I had to find a new way to help myself, and recovery fell into my life. I. I didn't seek it out, actually. A friend that I drank with a lot decided to get sober with the help of his therapist at the counseling center at ua. And that kind of just led to a domino effect of a bunch of our friends getting sober. And I was lucky enough to be one of those people.
[00:14:20] Speaker B: I am so thankful for both of you guys and both of your stories. And just like I said, you guys that are listening to us right now on the radio, so really hope you're, you know, whether it's yourself or somebody else. And I think that's the big thing that I've heard from a lot of people in recovery is you have to find it for yourself.
That seems to be a theme that, you know, kind of no matter what people tell you, you can have those encouragements along the way. But it's a deeper like if, you know, in that moment, okay, this is what I need to do for myself. So we are going to take a quick break and we'll catch you guys on the other side. You're listening the 55 Whitney on 90.7,
[00:15:10] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:15:23] Speaker B: Hello, friends, we are back. You're listening to Fit to be tide on 90.7, the capstone. And I mean, as always, we're just having a good conversation with people we love and resources. And I mean, honestly, it doesn't get much better than this. We still have zoom, and we can record, and we're not letting down our audiences. So it's recovery month, and we are focusing on the crc. We've been having awesome conversations about real, true life stories. And, you know, I kind of want to segue a little bit, you guys, and talk about Collegiate Recovery Services, or as we kind of shortly call it, crc. Some of you have heard me say CRC multiple times, and you're like, what the heck is she talking about? Collegiate Recovery Services. So, first of all, where are y' all located?
[00:16:09] Speaker A: The building is the crc. The location is right across the road from the law school.
I can't remember the exact address, but it's the building right next to the law school the other side of the road.
[00:16:22] Speaker C: It's called the South Lawn Office Building.
[00:16:25] Speaker B: Yeah, that's what I was. And I'm terrible with directions, y'.
[00:16:27] Speaker C: All.
[00:16:27] Speaker B: It gets back some of the first time I was ever gonna teach yoga over there, Hillary was like, oh, yeah, we're South Lawn. I was like, what the is the South Lawn? I was like, I don't know where that is. And so I had to kind of, like, ask around. But, yeah, if you listened to our show last week, Counseling center and WGRC and Collegiate Recovery Services. I think just those three are over there or is there. Okay, so they're all in that area. So literally, if you come down Bryant and you, like, if you're coming from DCH and you take a left right before the law school, you'll see. I think it's like East Edge Apartments that way.
[00:17:01] Speaker A: Yes, that's it.
[00:17:02] Speaker B: Yeah. And so, yeah, I mean, very conveniently located, I think, and also pretty close to the rec center. I mean, that's convenient for me, for sure where I work, but yeah. So what kind of services do you guys offer? So if I'm a student or faculty, staff trying to, you know, kind of help a student out, what kind of things do you guys offer?
[00:17:22] Speaker A: So a lot of the services provided by the CRC would include things like our members get free counseling. That's a big pull.
And access to a computer lab.
Full CRC members have access to the building 24 7. There's all sorts of arrangements made to be there during the pandemic, protocols in place, keep everybody safe.
Free printing. That seems to be a big draw to people.
You know, for whatever reason, that's a big draw.
There's also a scholarship involved. If you have above a 3.5 GPA at the end of every semester, we go out to dinner. Every once in a while, we have weekly mom lunches where a group of mothers come in and bring in lunch.
Of course, again, that looks a little bit different this semester. It's all wrapped in packaged food, but it still happens.
And that's just a few of the things. But for me, the biggest thing is the fellowship. I have a big group of people who are. We're all kind of in the same boat, heading in the same direction. And just having that, especially when I was new, having those members that were a little bit farther on to help me and give me advice and share their experience with me of what they went through.
And then now being on the grad school side of it, being able to do the same thing for the younger, newer people coming in, I think that's
[00:18:52] Speaker B: one thing I've noticed.
I haven't been over there in a while, obviously, because of the pandemic. But when I was teaching yoga, I mean, when I would walk in, it was just. I was kind of like, well, this is like home. Like, it's just very, like, people are just happy to be there in fellowship with each other. And I love. Because I have a meditation room, right?
[00:19:13] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:19:14] Speaker B: And then when you walk in. So, like, to the left, isn't that crc? But then is the right separate?
[00:19:24] Speaker A: So when you walk into the actual. Like the CRC entrance right there, if you turn to the left, that goes back into our counselors and all that. But if you go to the right, that's where the computer lab, meditation room, Hillary's office, and just kind of.
I guess we'll call it Fellowship room. Big screen tv, couches, and all that fun stuff is.
[00:19:47] Speaker B: Yeah, that's what I noticed. I was like, what? I look back there, and I was like, well, I need to come hang out here.
[00:19:51] Speaker C: Of course.
[00:19:52] Speaker B: Everybody's very welcoming. Like, well, yeah, you can come hang out here. And I was like, this is awesome. But it's a really nice little space. And like I said, it's super relaxing and inviting. So if there's anybody listening to our show and you're curious about it, I mean, are y' all open where you can actually go into those areas, or is it currently closed down?
[00:20:14] Speaker A: No, absolutely. Yes, it definitely is open.
It's in the group me all the time. How Mayor Hillary will put out. Our administrators, they'll put out a message in the group name when they're having a new student come by or just somebody coming to tour, asking for, you know, making sure there's gonna be a couple of people there. To show them around and introduce themselves and all that kind of stuff. We love to have anybody that would want to come by.
[00:20:36] Speaker B: I think that's great. And that's what I've noticed is y' all are such a welcoming environment, and I think that that's awesome. So we talked a little bit about getting counseling from crc, so that's free. So if I decide I think I need some help, do I just call the crc? Do I walk in? Like, what's kind of a protocol for that?
[00:20:58] Speaker A: I think the main thing is for members, all we do is just go and talk to an administrator, and they fill out some paperwork and schedule it. That's all there is to it.
[00:21:10] Speaker B: So pretty easy, right?
[00:21:13] Speaker A: Absolutely. And for anybody that's looking to become a member, just come on, talk to us. We'd love to have you. Love to talk to you.
[00:21:21] Speaker B: What kind of do y' all also have?
Are y' all still doing meetings there? So if I wanted to come to a meeting, I could still go.
[00:21:29] Speaker A: So we have, like, weekly CRC member seminars that have an online option as well. But as far as, like, 12 step meetings or anything like that, as far as I know, those are not happening there right now.
[00:21:44] Speaker B: Okay. And I wonder around town, are there still meetings happening around town?
[00:21:50] Speaker A: I guess, yes, absolutely.
Yes.
[00:21:54] Speaker B: That's awesome. Well, just to kind of shift gears a little bit, we've had other radio shows where we have talked about the resources, and so I know that things look a little differently in the wake of COVID I mean, we obviously tailgating and having sober tailgates. I don't know if that's even a thing going to be a thing this year. I don't even really know what's going to happen with football. Who knows what's gonna go down? But I know you guys are always having speaker nights and you're. And I know Hillary is doing such a great job of bringing people in.
She's invited me to a couple of those that you guys have had. But, you know, I think with it being Covid, quarantine, all that kind of stuff, it's just kind of our new. I hate saying this, but it's kind of our new normal in a way. And what the way we're doing, dealing with things. Have either of you found it harder to stay connected and kind of stay on the right path?
[00:22:47] Speaker C: I mean, I definitely was surprised at how difficult I found the isolation of social distancing to be. You know, before I entered into recovery, I was definitely a little bit of a loner but, you know, recovery has taught me tools that I can utilize when I'm feeling lonely.
The community at large is still very much in touch over different social media platforms.
We do still have recovery meetings over Zoom, which is great. And the CRC has offered some socially distanced safety measures into the fellowship functions that we usually have, like that Wednesday lunch or if we want to gather to watch a film or play video games or something like that. In the crc, there are safety measures in place.
I myself am immunocompromised, so I have attended Wednesday lunch because those are outside and we all wear our masks.
But I haven't been able to fellowship in the building and it does hurt my heart to miss out on some of those things. But we all love each other so much that we definitely keep in touch. You know, I still will do like a four way FaceTime call with some people just to like joke around or, you know, watch a movie together virtually, or do homework together, even though we're just like in front of our computers with our zoom camera on, things like that. So it's definitely different and at the same time it's the same. It's strange because I think for so many of us, we don't realize how much we grow to depend on each other.
That fellowship component is such a big part of what the CRC has to offer. But also like my recovery fellowship outside of school, and we've had to be really creative, but we're managing.
[00:24:35] Speaker B: I think that's the key, is being creative. I think it doesn't matter where you are, where you work on campus, if you're a student, faculty, staff, this is kind of everybody's having to think seriously way outside the box and be super creative with how we do things. Now, unfortunately, we do have technology, which is awesome. It's not ideal, but you know what? It's awesome. So on that note, we are going to take another break and we will continue this conversation on the other side. You're looking to pity Tide with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:25:19] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:25:32] Speaker B: Hello, you guys are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena Whitney. We are back and once again having an awesome conversation about our campus resources. And, you know, it is National Recovery Month and so that is going to be our focus for the month and we have great services here on campus. But I do kind of want to talk about the misconceptions about addiction and recovery because I know before I had a family member involved in this.
I Was ignorant. I had no clue. I mean, I will straight up say I needed education. And I remember the moment my brother was like, this is what's going down. I immediately was like, I have to know everything to be the best kind of resource for him. Even though I know nothing, I wanted to jump in as much as I could. So, I mean, misconceptions, stigmas, because it's all kind of the same thing, you know, what do you guys have to say about that? When somebody says, you know what I mean? What does it mean to be an addict? I mean, what do you do? If I'm a family member, like, there's so much to think about.
[00:26:37] Speaker A: So the most common misconception or misunderstanding that I've witnessed, like I said, I've been in recovery for about four and a half years now, and I've worked in addiction treatment for three of those.
But the most common misconception is that that chemical use or even chemical dependence and the disease of addiction, those are not necessarily the same thing, okay? Somebody can be even physically dependent on a chemical, but that does not necessarily mean that they have the disease of addiction.
Disease of addiction. When those suffering from it put these chemicals in their body, Their brains react to it a different way than it does for anybody who doesn't have it, okay? So that. This is why, like, we look around and we see, well, this person, like, when it got bad enough, they just decided they can quit. So why can't this person, right? And I think there's a lot of judgment that goes around when people see there's certain people that can quit and certain ones that just seem to just not care about anything and just choose it over and over and over, and it baffles them.
[00:27:50] Speaker B: Them.
[00:27:50] Speaker A: And it's because, again, just because somebody uses a chemical a lot, that does not mean they have the disease of addiction. So, like, when I take in a deep breath, and when you take in a deep breath and you hold it for as long as you can, eventually that internal discomfort gets bad enough and you go, right, and have to take that deep breath. There's a part of the brain that takes over and says, hey, to survive, you're gonna breed whether you want to or not. And I'm taking over.
And people who really, truly have the disease of addiction, when their internal discomfort gets bad enough, that same part of the brain takes over and says, you're gonna use or you're gonna drink, whether you want to or not.
And that's the difference between somebody who truly has a disease and somebody who May just have a little bit of a drinking problem.
Does that make sense?
[00:28:45] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. And it's funny because I feel like in general, maybe, maybe at the University of Alabama, it's a little different because we are always trying to. In a collegiate setting, trying to learn about things, to better educate ourselves about whatever it is. And I'm not sure about the rest of the world because I feel like I'm kind of in this bubble, you know, at UA and what we do.
But I feel like the understanding and the compassion is hopefully getting better, at least for myself. But it could be because I did have, like I said, an experience with that. I think it's like with anything, we are trying to move in the right direction, but it's still not like there's still individuals that have misconceptions. And kind of what you said then, like, well, why can't you just stop? Well, my chemical makeup is different than your chemical makeup or guys. You know what I mean? So I think that's such a. Back in the day, it looks like 1950s, if you had a drinking problem, you were like, we were the town drunk. I think of like Andy Griffith or something. You know what I mean? Kind of like this like, just, you know, get over it kind of thing. And it's just not that way sometimes.
[00:29:56] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. It's, you know, the drinking and the drug use that's the most observable symptom of the disease of addiction. But it goes so much deeper than that. Right? So there's, like I said, there's just a big difference between someone who, like, we know for this is scientific fact that anyone, any human who takes opioids for long enough will become physically dependent to them, okay? And when they stop taking them, they will experience withdrawal symptoms.
That does not mean that they have the disease of addiction. That means they had a chemical dependency.
Okay? So the difference between the two is I always use this example. My dad used to work with a guy who had serious knee problems. And my dad said he would watch this guy take handfuls and handfuls of opiates every 12 or every four hours.
And if he didn't, he would get withdrawal symptoms.
This guy one day said, hey, I'm tired of taking this stuff and I'm gonna quit. And he quit and he went through a cold turkey, terrible opioid withdrawal for seven days. And he got on the back end of it and said, wow, that was terrible. I'm never going to touch another one as long as I live. And he never has. And his life has continued to get better. Now you have on the other hand, somebody like me who would take these same opioids for an extended period of time.
And then I would go through the same detox and same withdrawal process that he went through. But when I get on the back end of it, my brain would say, hey, glad that's over. But okay, here's where I messed the last time. And as long as I don't let this happen again, I can use these drugs successfully and I won't end up in as bad a shape as I did the last time. But if I don't put those chemicals in, my internal condition will continue to get worse. Like depression, anxiety, fear, just all sorts of internal discomfort continues to get worse and worse until eventually, like I was giving you an analogy with breathing a minute ago, that part of the brain takes over and says, hey, you're going to relieve this whether you want to or not in one way or another.
[00:32:01] Speaker B: I think that's, I mean that it's a great visual for people to set it apart like that. And I hope our listeners can see and understand that there is a difference. And I always encourage people, just do your research. Like if somebody wanted to learn more about addiction, do you guys have any resources that you would point them in that direction or anything online?
[00:32:24] Speaker C: I mean, I think definitely for students, you have wonderful resources available to you. Here at the University of Alabama we have an excellent addiction and recovery sciences program itself.
So yes, you can always google and find the literature for any of the 12 step fellowships for any of our national health institutions.
Those things are always available. But we are specially situated to get a different kind of intimate health.
I know several people who have had professors help them in their journey of recovery. And I know in my experience here at ua, I've had a lot of really wonderful professors that truly and genuinely care about my well being. And so I think the first stop on your journey for seeking help for yourself or for a loved one or anyone at UA can be to seek help with someone that you know directly.
I think the, you know, the CRC itself is very visible and you know, the Department of Student Life does everything it can to make sure that that visibility is maintained even now in, you know, Covid.
And chances are if you have that favorite professor that you feel a connection with, if you reach out to them, they will put you in the right direction. And if you want to bypass that because maybe you don't particularly have a great relationship with any of your professors, you can just contact the crc.
It doesn't have to be a big undertaking. You don't have to go, you know, the counseling center is great, but you have to put a lot of yourself into that questionnaire when you first get there to get the actual help that you need. The WGRC is great, especially, you know, for someone like me whose drug use and drinking was sparked by a sexual assault. If you're having anything in your life that's going to bring you anywhere into those services of counseling and mental health, definitely. While you're there, ask about your concerns with substance use, if that's something. But if you're reaching out for a loved one, it's the same as if you're reaching out for yourself. Because if you love someone who has an issue with addiction, you have an issue with addiction, too. And I think that it's important to remember, if you're seeking information for someone else, you need to stop and think, do I need some information for myself, too? And any of those resources that you're talking about this month on your podcast would be a great place to seek that information.
[00:34:51] Speaker B: That's awesome. And honestly, I thank you both for being on here, and I'd love to have you back again sometime. And those of you listening, it's true. Faculty and staff at the university. I mean, I've had plenty of students feel comfortable and they have confided in me, and we get help, you know, and so just find your resources on campus. If you don't know where to go, the CRC is available. So I just want to thank you so much, Ben and Aisha, for being on our show. And we are going to take another break and wrap it up on this Sunday afternoon. You're listening to 6P Tag with Whitney and Sheena on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:35:41] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:35:54] Speaker B: Welcome back to Fit to Be Tied. We have had a wonderful show this Sunday afternoon, and we, we're again, thankful for our audience and our listeners. Most importantly, we're thankful for our resources here on campus. And it is National Recovery Month. And you know what? If you have something you're struggling with, it could be anything. You know, the university is here to help you in all of our resources. And I just want to quickly, you know, just let y' all know that you're not alone in these areas. And if you ever want to talk to me, my office is at the rec center. I would be glad to listen to you and point you in the right direction. But, yeah, it's been a great show. We just want to thank our friends at the CRC for being here and just remember that it's open to you as students and go around to their website, kind of play around on it and see if there's any questions that you may have and feel free to contact them. But just a quick little segue if you are looking to get physically active. I know we've been talking about addiction, substance abuse, but we are fit to be tired and we do like to give you guys some tips on exercise. I will be doing a webinar with the Office of Work Life Balance on Monday.
So if you would like to sign up, I still think there's time for you to go over to their website. And if you're faculty staff, students, I'm sorry, it's only open to faculty staff. But I'll be talking about what to do and how to get started with physical activity. We'll try not to focus on Covid the whole time. But I mean, let's be real. It's kind of of what we do now. It's how it is. If you're looking to do some group exercise classes, good news is we are starting our live group exercise classes this week at the student recreation center. We start on the 15th, which means you can now go to boot camp days, water classes, Pilates, yoga, all that good stuff. But you will need to register online. We aren't doing a pass system anymore, so check out our website so you can register online and it will be through your MyBama portal.
So yeah, if coming to the rec center is still not in your wheelhouse, guess what? We have a YouTube channel. So go over to YouTube, type in UA recreation, hit that subscribe button, and you know what, watch some videos, do some workouts with us. We would love to have you. So you know what, on that note, I think I'm going to close out the show. Thank you guys for listening. This has been a wonderful Sunday recording of Fit to Be Pride with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7 The Capstone.
