At Rise Recovery, our mission is simple but urgent: help teens, young adults, and families overcome the effects of drugs and alcohol, and partner with our community to prevent substance use before it begins. We know the importance of early intervention. In Bexar County, the average age of first substance use is just 12.5 to 13 years old. That’s middle school.

The impact of substance use, especially among our youth, is growing faster than it has in history.

Over the past year, we’ve seen both the City of San Antonio and Bexar County take a bold and necessary step in declaring overdose deaths a public health crisis. This declaration isn’t just a headline—it’s a reflection of the lives lost, families hurting, and young people at risk in our own backyard.

In 2023, opioids were involved in more than 40% of all deaths reviewed by the Bexar County Medical Examiner. Many of these lives lost were young people under the age of 25. National data suggests that fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18–45, and Bexar County is no exception. We’re seeing fentanyl, methamphetamines, and even everyday medications being misused and mixed in ways that make them more deadly than ever.

That’s why we’re stepping up.

In November 2024, Bexar County formally declared drug overdoses a public health crisis, citing an alarming rise in deaths related to opioids, methamphetamines, and cross-substance contamination. With this crisis at our doorstep, Rise Recovery has responded with actions focused on preventing more lives from being lost to overdoses. 

What Rise Recovery is Doing:

• San Antonio’s First Free Narcan Vending Machine – Placed right on our campus to make life-saving opioid reversal medication accessible to the public.
• Rise Inspire Academy – The city’s first and only recovery high school, built specifically for youth in recovery to heal, learn, and rebuild their futures in a safe, drug-free environment.
• Public School Partnership – Peer specialists are placed in local middle and high schools to support students struggling with substance use and mental health.
• State & Federal Advocacy – Rise has visited the Texas Capitol, contributed to a national opioid awareness documentary shown on C-SPAN and shared with White House officials, and continues to educate local and state leaders on real solutions.

It is necessary to bring awareness and urgency to this crisis—it’s the faces of young people we serve every day. It’s the teens who started vaping, thinking it was harmless. It’s the families blindsided by counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl. It’s the parents who never thought they’d need Narcan in their first aid kit.

But there is hope.

At Rise Recovery, we’ve seen the human side of this crisis. Just last year, our staff reversed two opioid overdoses—both in teens. These were kids in our community who deserved more time, more support, and more life. Because of our donors and partners, we were there. And we’ll keep showing up.

Now more than ever, Rise Recovery is committed to prevention, education, and recovery without judgment—and without cost. If you care about youth, public health, or your neighbors, we invite you to be part of the movement.