We Put Hope Within Reach! Always Low-Cost & Effective!
Hope Counseling is part of Teen Challenge Southeast. For nearly 60 years, Teen Challenge Southeast’s alcohol and substance abuse addiction recovery programs have provided long-term recovery for tens of thousands of individuals. We are the largest and longest continuously operated group of addiction recovery centers in the world, with over 200 centers in the U.S. and over 1,000 more centers worldwide.
Hope Counseling is a low-cost addiction and alcohol counseling program for men, women, and teens. Our program provides individual, couples and groups online and in-person counseling. We create life change, for without life change, addicts and alcoholics will go right back to their addiction after a few days, weeks or months. Anyone can go through detox and get off alcohol or drugs for a short while, especially in a highly monitored environment. Our goal is to provide long-term recovery and lifetime avoidance of addictive substances, once the individual leaves our program, even when hard knocks hit.
Addicts and alcoholics typically start “using” or drinking out of a personal need to cover up some internal issues, such as a need for love, success, forgiveness, belonging, acceptance, a spiritual void, or a lack of life purpose. The individual fills such voids in their life with drugs or alcohol, which provide temporary relief for the mental anguish they are feeling. However, these substances will take hold and build a chemical dependency in their body, taking away any ability for the addict to stop on their own. The dependency becomes too powerful and attempts to get off these substances can often lead to painful and sometimes life-threatening withdrawal symptoms.
Once invited in, these substances can entirely take over the individual and their mindset, mentally or physically preventing them from stopping on their own. The cost of maintaining a habit can sometimes cause the addict to turn to theft (even from their own family), or selling drugs, which can lead to jail sentences. Usually, the substances are needed in higher and higher quantities or more frequently to achieve the same effect, until the addict overdoses or otherwise destroys their own body.
Without a totally new mindset and life focus to fill the void, the addict will return to their addiction, again and again, ravaging their relationships, trustworthiness, career, finances and their physical and mental health. The addiction will utterly destroy them.
Deliverance = Reliance on a Higher Power
The addict has failed, again and again, on many levels. They know they cannot change on their own, due to their own feelings of inadequacy, guilt and repeated past failures. So, from the very start of our program, a reliance on a “higher power” is emphasized. We believe in the life-changing effect that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can have on an addict’s their life. None of us can change our own hearts — we need to cry out to our Maker and put the hard work on His shoulders. Christ and the Holy Spirit become a constant companion to the addict, bringing peace, fulfillment, purpose, kindness, truthfulness and a desire to be clean and do what is right.
At first, an addict or alcoholic feels unforgivable; like a huge failure for all of the hurt and damage they have done. But once they realize that Jesus Christ will accept them as they are, and forgive them unconditionally, a whole new window opens up to them. They again feel worthy of moving on — worthy of being forgiven — because the Creator of the Universe has forgiven them and has taken a huge burden off their shoulders. A deep desire wells up within them to also seek the forgiveness of others, and to serve others. That is a critical step forward. Through Christ, they gain the strength and a burning desire to seek the forgiveness of others in their life that they have harmed. Surprisingly to them, others who see the change in their demeanor and attitudes are more than happy to forgive them, and that’s a huge relief.
Reintroducing Truth To the Addict’s Life
If there is one thing that is common to all addicts it is that they have become the best of liars — to friends, employers, family and even to themselves. Moreover, they are blame-shifters, never taking responsibility for their own actions. Introducing Christ into their life also means introducing truth, where truth had become lost to them. Most of our staff are former addicts themselves, so they can see through the lies of the residents. Truth and transparency become a pivotal focus from this point forward, often taught with tough love, but always approached with acceptance, understanding and care. Eventually, the addict or alcoholic realizes that the only way to live is to put away their constant lies and approach life from the truth, with the help of Christ.
In a Teen Challenge Southeast Outcomes Study by The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- 92% of Teen Challenge graduates reported good to excellent health a year later.
- 86% of Teen Challenge graduates reported they were drug-free a year later.
- 72% of Teen Challenge graduates continued their education upon completion of the program.
- 75% of Teen Challenge graduates were employed a year later, with 73% being fully self-supporting.
Compare these numbers with statistics of most other short-term rehabs, which are typically in the single digits!
- Legal Trouble?
We do accept individuals who have been in trouble with the law or are in jail. Courts have allowed addicts time here in lieu of jail, because they know how effective our program can be to completely change hearts and lives.
- Personal Growth
We help the addict sprout new leafs and grow a new life, free of addiction and the pain that led them to their addiction. We are all about planting the seeds of new life and helping the individual grow into a new creature in Christ.
- Vocationally Focused
We teach humility, care, trustworthiness and the traits of a good worker. We help the former addict find a new vocation and rebuild their future. Having a strong future plan keeps the individual excited about life and self-supporting.
What Our Past Students Say
“I grew up in a very loving Christian family. I was very involved in church. Senior year of high school I started to hang-out with the wrong group of people. Once I entered college it got worse. One drug consumed my life, OxyContin and any pain pill I could get my hands on. I lived for this drug day and night. My husband and I started to use this drug together. Even when I found out I was pregnant, the drug use just got worse and worse. I was so depressed, I had no hope. Eventually, I overdosed and ended up in a psych ward. We both decided to come to Teen Challenge and God has just completely changed both of our lives. I am not depressed anymore. I have such a hope and future. I know that my son’s going to have godly parents now.”
–Jessica
“God has delivered me from the bondage of addiction, anger, fear, depression and self-loathing. Teen Challenge made it possible for me to lift my head with real hope for the future. I used to depend on the bottle in my hand for survival, but now I’ve thrown the bottle away and I’m holding on to Jesus.”
–Tori
“I was lost. I had no direction in life, no meaning. The life I knew was failing me. The things I loved to do became useless. I had begun selling myself as a prostitute to support my addiction. Accepting nothing but abuse my whole life, I knew I was worthless. I was searching and experimenting and finding nothing but hurt and self-affliction, so I covered it up with the drugs. After coming to Teen Challenge I am filled with the joy of the Lord. I know my stains are wiped clean. Surrendering completely to Christ has been the best choice I’ve ever made. Everything I ask Him for help with, He has taken care of… most of all, He has restored me.”
–Callie
"NO WARRANTY" LEGAL NOTICE: While independent outcomes studies have shown very high recovery rates for indiviuals in our programs, we cannot guarantee recovery for any particular individual. Recovery and future abstinence from addicting substances and the effects that such substances may have on the individual or their life, actions, or their future are entirely dependent on the individual and how well they apply the principles we have taught them. We are an educational institution, and how the individual in our program learns from what they are taught and modeled here, is totally up to them. Individuals who stay the full term (until graduation) have much better long-term recovery from addicitons than those who do not.