MONROE - Showing up alone to a sobriety meeting like Narcotics Anonymous can be intimidating for the newly sober.
But the eight members of Green County's new Drug Court program are not alone. They have each other.
"Because they've developed relationships with each other, they go together," said Susan Sebastian, the program's clinical substance-abuse counselor.
Sebastian reported on the progress of the two-month-old program and answered questions Wednesday at a meeting of the Green County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee.
The program, part of a nationwide trend to offer a treatment alternative in criminal cases related to drug addiction, started at the end of July and is funded in part through a Department of Corrections grant. A program brochure describes the program as aimed at people convicted of a crime "which is a result of the offender's substance abuse or addiction," such as theft or burglary.
Drug dealers are generally not eligible for Drug Court, said Green County District Attorney Craig Nolen at Wednesday's meeting.
Some participants may have "dipped their toes" into selling but only as a way to get money to buy drugs, Sebastian said.
"Some of them were committing their crimes solely to support their habits," she said.
Of the eight currently in the program, the drug of choice is opiates for seven and meth for one.
A key eligibility requirement for the intensive and time-consuming program is a desire to get clean and stay committed to the program for a year or longer.
Drug Court participants meet with Sebastian for three 90-minute group counseling sessions every week, in addition to one-on-one sessions. The sessions are confidential, "a safe place," she said.
Every week, participants must also attend a courtroom review in front of a judge and a one-hour meeting with Whitney Driver, the full-time Drug Court coordinator and case manager. She helps them set goals and manage everyday challenges like getting to work, finding housing and scheduling doctor's appointments.
Participants are drug-tested twice weekly.
In the initial phase - the program has five phases altogether - Sebastian expects absolute sobriety but prioritizes honesty. For addicted people caught up in a cycle of lying, deceit and shame, learning to be honest is often the first hurdle to sobriety.
"Sometimes they lie about things they don't even need to be lying about," she said. In the long run, it's better for a participant to admit to the group, "I used this weekend," than to try to cover it up.
Kelly Mattingly, an attorney who works with the decade-old Drug Court program in Rock County, echoed this sentiment at Wednesday's meeting.
Physically addicted people may not always have control over their drug-use, "but they can control honesty," he said.
Coming to terms with the reality of long-term sobriety is another challenge, Sebastian said.
"The world's not going to throw them a party if they stay sober. It's just the world," she said.
Another common struggle among participants is thinking it's OK to use substances that aren't their drug of choice - alcohol, prescription pills, cocaine, marijuana - even though absolute sobriety is a program goal.
"We have to keep reminding them, we want you to stop using," Sebastian said. Just this week, she said she half-joked with the group, "If you don't stay clean, you're going to be looking at me for a very long time."
But, so far, no one has quit Drug Court and the program hasn't ejected anyone.
Recently, a program participant whose preferred drug is heroin was in a serious ATV accident, Sebastian said. The four-wheeler rolled on top of her, breaking her pelvis. Doctors don't expect her to be able to walk until December or January.
The woman was nervous that the opiate painkillers she received as part of her recovery in the hospital would trigger her addiction, so she's been weaning herself off them as quickly as possible.
"She's doing well," Sebastian said.
Best of all, she's not alone. Her fellow Drug Court participants have been visiting her in the hospital.
"The participants have been very supportive of her," Nolen said.
But the eight members of Green County's new Drug Court program are not alone. They have each other.
"Because they've developed relationships with each other, they go together," said Susan Sebastian, the program's clinical substance-abuse counselor.
Sebastian reported on the progress of the two-month-old program and answered questions Wednesday at a meeting of the Green County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee.
The program, part of a nationwide trend to offer a treatment alternative in criminal cases related to drug addiction, started at the end of July and is funded in part through a Department of Corrections grant. A program brochure describes the program as aimed at people convicted of a crime "which is a result of the offender's substance abuse or addiction," such as theft or burglary.
Drug dealers are generally not eligible for Drug Court, said Green County District Attorney Craig Nolen at Wednesday's meeting.
Some participants may have "dipped their toes" into selling but only as a way to get money to buy drugs, Sebastian said.
"Some of them were committing their crimes solely to support their habits," she said.
Of the eight currently in the program, the drug of choice is opiates for seven and meth for one.
A key eligibility requirement for the intensive and time-consuming program is a desire to get clean and stay committed to the program for a year or longer.
Drug Court participants meet with Sebastian for three 90-minute group counseling sessions every week, in addition to one-on-one sessions. The sessions are confidential, "a safe place," she said.
Every week, participants must also attend a courtroom review in front of a judge and a one-hour meeting with Whitney Driver, the full-time Drug Court coordinator and case manager. She helps them set goals and manage everyday challenges like getting to work, finding housing and scheduling doctor's appointments.
Participants are drug-tested twice weekly.
In the initial phase - the program has five phases altogether - Sebastian expects absolute sobriety but prioritizes honesty. For addicted people caught up in a cycle of lying, deceit and shame, learning to be honest is often the first hurdle to sobriety.
"Sometimes they lie about things they don't even need to be lying about," she said. In the long run, it's better for a participant to admit to the group, "I used this weekend," than to try to cover it up.
Kelly Mattingly, an attorney who works with the decade-old Drug Court program in Rock County, echoed this sentiment at Wednesday's meeting.
Physically addicted people may not always have control over their drug-use, "but they can control honesty," he said.
Coming to terms with the reality of long-term sobriety is another challenge, Sebastian said.
"The world's not going to throw them a party if they stay sober. It's just the world," she said.
Another common struggle among participants is thinking it's OK to use substances that aren't their drug of choice - alcohol, prescription pills, cocaine, marijuana - even though absolute sobriety is a program goal.
"We have to keep reminding them, we want you to stop using," Sebastian said. Just this week, she said she half-joked with the group, "If you don't stay clean, you're going to be looking at me for a very long time."
But, so far, no one has quit Drug Court and the program hasn't ejected anyone.
Recently, a program participant whose preferred drug is heroin was in a serious ATV accident, Sebastian said. The four-wheeler rolled on top of her, breaking her pelvis. Doctors don't expect her to be able to walk until December or January.
The woman was nervous that the opiate painkillers she received as part of her recovery in the hospital would trigger her addiction, so she's been weaning herself off them as quickly as possible.
"She's doing well," Sebastian said.
Best of all, she's not alone. Her fellow Drug Court participants have been visiting her in the hospital.
"The participants have been very supportive of her," Nolen said.