HOUSTON, Texas (January 3, 2017) – The Council on Recovery announces the launch of Houston’s first Relapse & Renewal Clinic™, a revolutionary program to save the lives of alcoholics and drug addicts who are struggling with sobriety, even after completing inpatient rehab or participating in 12-Step groups.

“People often get out of treatment and enter 12-Step groups only to find they’ve still got the compulsion to drink or use,” says Mel Taylor, President & CEO of The Council on Recovery. "Over 65 percent of them relapse within their first year of sobriety. Relapse devastates lives and shatters hopes. It’s a huge cost to society and our healthcare system.”

The Relapse & Renewal Clinic is a comprehensive outpatient program that combines support, education, group therapy, and personalized treatment to prevent back-sliding (or slipping) and strengthen the desire to stay sober. The intensive four-week program gives participants sufficient time to practice sobriety skills and better connect with the local recovery community.

A groundbreaking aspect of the Relapse & Renewal Clinic is its use of Recovery Support Consultants to provide direct one-on-one assistance. Each Consultant is trained in relapse prevention and sobriety support, and also an active member of Houston’s recovery community. They guide Clinic participants by encouraging attendance of 12-Step meetings, helping them navigate recovery resources, and being a reliable, understanding person to contact at times of struggle or potential relapse.

The Clinic also serves those who have been sober a while (sometimes years), but find themselves struggling against relapse, or what some in the mental health community call “pre-lapse”. “Our program anticipates these struggles and provides immediate solutions for both preventing relapse and renewing confidence in sobriety,” says Lori Fiester, LCSW and Director of The Council on Recovery’s Center for Recovering Families.

“The key advantage is that participants don’t have to start over in the treatment process, but rather engage in their recovery where they are,” Fiester says. “We don’t focus on negatives, like shame of relapse, but instead take the time to explore deeper issues within sobriety that need attention. This instills resiliency and self-care that build healing and strength. And, whenever possible, we involve the entire family in the recovery process. In this way, the program both saves lives and heals families.”

The Relapse & Renewal Clinic is an alternative to residential treatment or sober-living facilities when such approaches may not be necessary or affordable. The Clinic is open to all adults, regardless of length of sobriety or number of relapses.

The Relapse & Renewal Clinic is located at The Council on Recovery, 303 Jackson Hill Street, Houston, TX 77007. For more information call 281-200-9290 or visit www.councilonrecovery.org #RelapseandRenewal