BEE COUNTY, Texas — While the holiday season is often associated with celebration, leaders at the South Texas Recovery Foundation say it can also be one of the most difficult times of year for people struggling with addiction.
Bob and Raegan Strause, co-owners of the South Texas Recovery Foundation, said relapse rates tend to rise during the holidays due to increased stress, financial strain and family pressures.
The couple said their work is rooted in personal experience. Bob Strause said he struggled with substance use for decades before realizing he could not stop on his own.
“That’s when I found out at 52 years old that I couldn’t stop on my own,” he said.
In 2019, the Strauses established the South Texas Recovery Foundation with the goal of creating a recovery program that went beyond traditional treatment models. The nonprofit has been operating at its current location for the past two years.
Raegan Strause said while traditional treatment centers can be helpful, she and her husband wanted to offer a more immersive approach. “They’re (traditional clinics) helpful, but they only go so far,” she said. “We wanted our place to be more of a living experience.”
The foundation operates on a 12-step model while also offering licensed professional counseling, trauma therapy, and daily routines intended to reflect life outside of treatment. Program Director Rocky Haggard said participants are encouraged to build structure and connection through shared responsibilities and activities.
“To see that light come back on in their eyes and to see them re-engaging with their families, re-engaging with their communities, it really lets you know that what you’re doing has meaning on a larger scale,” Haggard said.
The program also includes recreational outlets, such as a golf simulator, and hands-on responsibilities like caring for animals on the property.
Foundation leaders like Board Chair Hamilton Barton said the foundation was designed to provide individualized care without being limited by insurance requirements or rigid treatment models.
“If someone comes to us for help, we need to give them the help they actually need,” Barton said. “Not necessarily what someone else says they need.”
Several alumni said the foundation played a key role in their recovery.
“These guys taught me that I’m not alone, and they’ve been through the same thing I have,” Bradley Strause, a former participant told KRIS 6 News.
Zach Childers, another alumnus, said the program helped him achieve lasting sobriety after multiple unsuccessful attempts elsewhere.
“I never knew there was a way to get sober and stay sober,” Childers said. “If you want help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. There is help.”
As the new year approaches, leaders at the foundation encourage anyone struggling with addiction to seek support and ask for help when they are ready.
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