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Better Than Well

We're here to support your recovery and your journey to higher education

  • Addiction recovery support

    Supported by a philanthropic grant Since July 2021, our Better Than Well programme is the first university-led Collegiate Recovery Program (CPR) in the UK. It is designed to support students who are in recovery from any form of addiction while they study at the University of Birmingham. Run by students and coordinated by an academic addiction psychiatrist and a recent graduate student in long-term recovery, the programme offers peer-to-peer support, social events and weekly meetings for students wishing to maintain abstinence-based recovery. A pathway to full membership is also available for those who are not yet in stable recovery. BTW supports students in active addiction to find treatment either within the university or in the wider community.

Hear from some of the team involved

How we can help

Before you arrive

  • support with completing the university admissions process.
  • early orientation
  • developing individual plans of study
  • general academic advice

When you're studying

  • 12-Step Fellowship group
  • peer support meetings
  • drop-in services
  • sober social activities
  • opportunities for volunteering and service to the local community
  • providing a safe, anonymous space for students to explore their recovery from addiction and to receive peer support for behaviour change
  • a weekly open meeting in ‘celebration’ of recovery that provides continued support to CRP members whilst also educating the wider community about the reality of addiction and recovery
  • meditation and yoga
  • a public engagement event on campus each semester, which may include film screening and discussion or presentation of academic work around addiction and recovery

View more information about the programme on our intranet page via this link.

Find out more

If you'd like to find out more about the programme and how it could help, please get in touch. Contact Luke Trainor or Ed Day for more information. 

Further Reading

Better Than Well Annual Reports

2025

Download BTW 2025 Annual Report here (PDF version).

Download accessible 2025 BTW Annual Report here (Word version).

2024

Download BTW 2024 Annual Report here (PDF version).

Download accessible 2024 BTW Annual Report here (Word version).

2023

Download BTW 2023 Annual Report here (PDF version).

Download accessible 2023 BTW Annual Report here (Word version).

2022

Download BTW 2022 Annual Report here (PDF version).

Download accessible 2022 BTW Annual Report here (Word version).

Academic Publications

Day, E., I. Manitsa, L. Trainor and A. Farley (2025). "Participant experiences of a Collegiate Recovery Program on a UK university campus." Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly: 1-14 https://doi.org/10.1080/07347324.2025.2589143

Day, E. and L. Trainor (2024). "Recovery from addiction on a university campus - a UK perspective." Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly: 46(4), 495-508 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07347324.2024.2364694

Trainor, L. (2023). "Being better than well at the University of Birmingham." Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment 146: 208949. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949875922000200