New Public Recovery High School Set to Open in Houston

Fortis Academy, a new high school under construction in Houston will be the only public recovery high school in the Harris County Department of Education and one of very few such schools in the state of Texas.¹

The recovery high school is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2018 and will provide support to kids who have already completed a drug rehab program and want help maintaining their sobriety. Fortis Academy will provide the following support resources for its students:

• Sober learning environment
• Access to drug counselors
• Sobriety maintenance programs
• Scheduled and random drug tests
• Therapeutic services
• Culinary arts program

According to the Harris County Department of Education News Blog, the school will initially accommodate 30 students but will eventually be able to accommodate 120 students.²

Prevalence of Drug Abuse and Addiction Among Youth

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Use reports that nine out of 10 people who are currently addicted to or abusing nicotine and other drugs first started using substances before they reached the age of 18. People who first start using drugs before the age of 15 are seven times more likely to develop a substance abuse problem later in life.³

The 2012 National Survey on American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVII surveyed 1,003 teens ages 12 to 17 and found a number of revealing results.⁴

• 44 percent of high school students knew another student who sold drugs at their school
• 91 percent of students said marijuana was sold on their school’s property
• 52 percent of high school students said there was a place at or near their school where students could drink, smoke, or use drugs during the day
• 75 percents of 12 to 17-year-olds said seeing pictures of other teens using alcohol or marijuana on social networking sites made other teens want to do the same thing

Clearly, substance abuse is prevalent among youth, even in some school environments, and access to drugs is easier than ever. Recovery High Schools like the new Fortis Academy in Houston are designed to provide a sober, substance-free learning environment for students who are in recovery and may help prevent relapse in the near future and later on in their adult lives.

Drug Rehab for Adults in Houston, TX

Many adults in the Houston area are struggling with addiction too. If you have a son or a daughter who is over the age of 18 and needs help recovering from drug and alcohol abuse, Nova Recovery Center can help. We provide individualized drug and alcohol rehab programs for adult men, women, and LGBTQ individuals in both the Houston and Austin areas.

If you’d like to learn more about the services at our rehab center or enroll yourself or a loved one in a treatment program today, please contact our admissions team for additional information.

References:

1. khou.com: 490468589
2. blog.hcde-texas.org: Hcde board names first public recovery high school in…
3. Center on Addiction: Teenage addiction
4. Center on Addiction: National survey american attitudes substance abuse teens