About Us

Abilene Recovery Council

The Abilene Recovery Council, Inc. (the “Council”) was organized on September 16, 1958 as Abilene Council on Alcoholism, and operates as a non-profit corporation exempt from federal income tax under the Internal Revenue Code Section 501©(3). At that time, the purpose was to provide education, information, and referral services to persons of all ages residing in Abilene and Taylor County, Texas. As the consumption of drugs other than alcohol intensified and the health problems surrounding tobacco created growing concern, it became evident that the Council could no longer limit its focus to alcoholism. It was at that time, the Council changed its name to the Abilene Council on Alcohol and Drug Use.

Over the years of existence, the Council’s mission has been to increase its knowledge, resources, and services in order to reduce the prevalence of substance use and to provide information concerning the use, misuse, and dependence of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD). In pursuit of this mission, the Council seeks to 1) prevent alcohol, tobacco and other drug misuse; 2) educate the public about ATOD; and 3) encourage proper diagnosis, treatment and continuum of care for individuals and families with substance use disorder diagnoses.

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24 Hour Crisis Hotline

September.1990

The Council was the recipient of the West Central Texas Prevention/Intervention Core Services for a primary adult target population, with youth as their secondary population. This award was named the Statewide Initiative from Councils (SIC). At that time, the name of the council was changed to Abilene Regional Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Inc (ARCADA). in order to reflect that it had expanded council services to other counties surrounding Taylor County. the Council’s ten (10) county catchment area for prevention and intervention services included Taylor, Stonewall, Haskell, Throckmorton, Jones, Shackelford, Stephens, Callahan, Eastland and Coleman counties.

February, 1996

The Council received an award for their Youth Prevention Program (YPP) and the Youth Intervention Program (later called Youth Prevention/Intervention Program – YIN, now YPI).

January, 1997

The Council was selected as a provider for a Youth Prevention Model for Texas. The research-based prevention program entitled “All Stars” was chosen for provision in the ten (10) county catchment area.

February, 1997

The Council was selected to be the service site for the Prevention Resource Center for Health and Human Services Commission Region 2. At that time, the Council was also funded by TCADA to provide the Outreach, Screening, Assessment and Referral (OSAR), two Youth Prevention Programs (YPP), and a Youth Intervention Program (YPI).

Early 2000's

TCADA became a part of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).

2003

The Council received funding from DSHS for two Youth Prevention Selective (YPS) programs, a Youth Prevention Indicated (YPI), OSAR, and the PRC for a five-year funding cycle. When methamphetamine use increased across the state of Texas, the Council received the Meth Watch Program for our PRC from 2006 to 2007. This program was designed to educate the public about the dangers of methamphetamine (meth) and to educate retailers on the need to identify and control those items that were purchased with abnormal frequency and amount in order to produce meth.

2008 to 2010

The Council was selected to receive special funding from DSHS for the Access to Recovery II (ATR) program. ATR provided care coordination, individual recovery coaching, spiritual counseling, recovery support groups, life skills, job training skills, parenting skills, family and marital counseling, and transitional housing. The program was discontinued in September 2010 when DSHS did not receive federal funding for the program.

2008 to 2013

The Council received funding for two Youth Prevention Universal (YPU) programs, two Youth Prevention Selective (YPS) programs, and a Youth Prevention Indicated (YPI) program. The PRC and the Community Coalition Partnership (CCP) programs have also been funded since 2008. The CCP is partnered with the Taylor Alliance for Prevention (TAP), a local coalition dedicated to addressing youth substance use issues such as the prevention of underage drinking, marijuana use,tobacco/nicotine use, and prescription drug misuse.

2009 to 2011

The Council received special funding from DSHS to provide the Tobacco Smokeless Rural (TSR) program within the 30 counties of Region 2. TSR provided a smokeless tobacco prevention curriculum to schools, and community organizations such as 4H, and Boys and Girls Clubs for implementation.

2013

The Council was awarded a Pregnant/Postpartum Intervention (PPI) grant which serves women adults women and youth who are pregnant or postpartum and at-risk for substance abuse.

May 2014

The Council received funding for a program called Recovery Support Services (RSS) which provides peer recovery coaching for individuals strongly committed to continuing their own recovery from substance use.

2015

Due to a legislative change which requires OSARs be funded through a regional Local Mental Health Authority (LMHA), the Council became an OSAR subcontractor with Helen Farabee Centers, the LMHA that was awarded the OSAR contract for HHSC Region 2.

2021

The Council received additional funding from UT Health San Antonio’s Texas Medication for opioid use disorder program, now known as “Be Well Texas”.

Beginning in September 2020

The PPI program was replaced with the Parenting Awareness and Drug Risk Education Services (PADREs) program. PADREs expands the services that were previously offered through the PPI program to now include at-risk mothers and fathers who are currently expecting a child or who have children under the age of 6 years old. Currently, the Council receives funding for the following HHSC programs: OSAR (as a subcontractor of Helen Farabee Centers), PADRES, RSS, PRC, CCP, and YPU. The Council has an additional RSS program funded by UT Health San Antonio’s Be Well Texas.

The Council was also known as one of the early pioneers who provided Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) class curricula before they were mandated by the State of Texas. The court ordered education programs offered at the Council have expanded in a progressive manner that is in step with the mandates for those who violate laws concerning alcohol and other drug use. Currently, the Council is a licensed and approved provider for the Texas DWI Education Program, Drug Offense Education Program, and DWI Intervention Program.