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Drug Court changes outcomes, turns lives aroundIt’s the kind of story people have heard and read about again and again: a young man starts using drugs at the age of 12, has his first felony under his belt at the age of 14. Between the ages of 18 to 27 he picks up five more felonies, multiple misdemeanors and serves two prison sentences for a total of five years. The story ends with the cell door slamming shut on the young man’s life forever, right? Not necessarily. The introduction of Drug Court has changed the ending of many men and women’s stories, for the better of the participants and the communities in which they live. The story above is that of one Blue Earth County Drug Court participant, John. “I had pretty much an all-around drug habit, but my drug of choice was meth,” John said. “I have been in and out of jail all my life and I have told judges all across the nation that I had a drug problem. Their solution was jail time.” In fact, John had never been in treatment before he was sentenced to Drug Court in Blue Earth County. He was sent to the residential substance abuse treatment program at New Ulm Medical Center. “I didn’t think I’d be able to do it. Getting high and selling was all I’d known since I was 12 years old,” John said. “I had serious trust issues. I grew up with people telling me I was never going to go anywhere. When I got this chance I thought they were just full of it and thought they were just doing it to make themselves look good.” John stresses that the process isn’t easy. He partially credits the “intensity” of the program with his success, along with the people behind the program. “They are on you all the time,” he said. “After I relapsed a couple times, they gave me one last chance. It just seemed that they truly did care about me and didn’t just assume I was hopeless like everyone else did.” The vast resources that are made available to participants of the program is also a big factor in it success, said John. Since being involved in Drug Court, John has made many new friends in recovery through NA. One of the requirements of Drug Court is that the participants join one of the recovery fellowships. “NA is my family now and I would never have found them if it wasn’t for Drug Court,” John said. “I don’t hang out with anyone anymore who isn’t in recovery.” John is now a sponsor for three people through Narcotics Anonymous. Through the resources of the program, he also enrolled in college and has held a job for longer than he ever has in his life. “Drug court has connections to people at the colleges, people at half-way houses, they connect with people who are dedicated to helping others improve their lives,” John said. John tells the story of when he was in residential treatment at NUMC and the pastor at a local church came to pick him up for Christmas day mass. “I went to the church and there was the Drug Court judge in his choir robes and his wife was conducting the choir,” he said. “I’ve seen some of the probation officers at Burger King. I have been to bowling events where the judge came and hung out and joked around with us. I saw those people like I never have before. It humbled me. I always looked at people like I was better than them or they were better than me. This made me feel like I am on their level. Now I feel like I am no better than the person who just walked in to Drug Court or NA – that used to be me.” John is getting ready to graduate from Drug Court in a month. “Some people slip up after graduation,” he said. “I don’t want to be one of those people, so I am preparing for my ongoing recovery right now.” |
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New Ulm Medical Center
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