FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Courage Center?

A registered nonprofit with a gold transparency rating at Guidestar.org, The Courage Center is the first Recovery Community Organization in the Midlands of South Carolina to support youth and families on their journey to recovery from substance misuse and substance use disorder.


The Courage Center offers the Midlands only Alternative Peer Group, an evidence-based, family-centered recovery model. Our program increases the internal and external resources (“recovery capital”) youth and families need to start and maintain recovery. Our program offerings include:


  • Recovery coaching delivered by certified peer support specialists
  • Family and peer support groups
  • Substance-free social events
  • Life skills training
  • Counseling with a licensed professional


The Courage Center also pursues initiatives to educate the public about the reality of recovery. Our #CourageOverStigma campaign, launched in 2021, is an opioid and substance use disorder and stigma-reducing  initiative that  provides public education and shares messages and stories of recovery.

Our Coordinated Overdose Response and Engagement (CORE) Program aims to reduce opioid overdoses by connecting overdose survivors to treatment and recovery resources.


The Courage Center's administrative office is located at 5250 Augusta Road in Lexington. Our primary program campus is located at 860 Park Road in Lexington, South Carolina. This location is where many of our teen, young adult, and family meetings take place.

How was The Courage Center founded?

The Courage Center was founded in 2016 by Lexington, South Carolina, parents Susan and Scotty Mill. They faced a time in their life when their heart was breaking over their adolescent son’s substance misuse. Discovering their community was devoid of addiction recovery support services specifically built for young people and families, the couple founded The Courage Center.


Their chosen framework was a Recovery Community Organization (RCO). RCOs are independent, nonprofit organizations that engage in community education, outreach programs, peer recovery support services, and advocacy.

The Courage Center offers no-cost peer-led support programs and services, provides peer recovery specialist training services, engages in community outreach and education, and advocates on relevant policy.

Whether you are here for information, or because your heart is breaking and you don't know where to turn, we are here for you.

What kind of services does The Courage Center offer?

The Courage Center is a non-profit Recovery Community Organization that offers no-cost, peer-based recovery support services to teens ages 14-18, young adults ages 19-26, and families. Our goal is to help youth and families develop a life of recovery from substance misuse or substance use disorder. 


The Courage Center offers the Midlands only Alternative Peer Group, an evidence-based, family-centered recovery model. Our program increases the internal and external resources (“recovery capital”) youth and families need to start and maintain recovery. Our program offerings include:


  • Recovery coaching delivered by certified peer support specialists
  • Family and peer support groups
  • Substance-free social events
  • Life skills training
  • Counseling with a licensed professional


Peer-based support provides youth with practical guidance from trained specialists who are in long-term recovery. For youth engaged in peer recovery support, studies have found reduced rates of return to use.


Family peer support or family support services offers hope, guidance, advocacy, and camaraderie for parents and caregivers of children and youth misusing or abusing substances. Parent support providers deliver peer support through face-to-face support groups, phone calls, or individual meetings. They bring expertise based on their own experience parenting children or youth with social, emotional, behavioral, or substance use challenges, as well as specialized training, to support other parents and caregivers. Working within a peer support framework that recognizes the power of mutuality and experiential understanding, parent support providers deliver education, information, and peer support (Obrochta et al., 2011).


Within 48 hours after you contact The Courage Center, or we receive a referral from a entity such as the Department of Juvenile Justice, a representative from The Courage Center will reach out to you to answer your questions, and possibly schedule an enrollment meeting for you and your loved one.


Please see our individual service pages for more details:


Is The Courage Center a treatment facility?

The Courage Center is not a treatment facility. Our staff and coaches do, however, have partnerships with vetted individuals and organizations along the entire continuum of recovery-oriented systems of care. The Courage Center frequently helps individuals navigate their options with treatment centers, withdrawal management facilities, and other available resources.

How much does The Courage Center cost?

Thanks to the generous support of our funders via grants, individual donations, and fundraising event proceeds, our participants do not pay for any of our programs and services. That has been the standard since we were founded in 2016. We have several ways in which interested individuals and organizations may contribute to The Courage Center. Please visit our giving page for more information.

We can help you.

Sign up to our newsletter

Share by: