Change is a formula: new habits over time, multiplied by hard work squared.
A group of men and women who recently completed the 19th Judicial District Court’s drug court program are applying that equation to transform their lives and escape the remorseless grip of addiction.
With opioid-related deaths on this rise in Louisiana and across the U.S., substance abuse has become increasingly dangerous over the past few years, Louisiana Department of Health statistics indicate. Nearly 300 people died of drug overdoses in East Baton Rouge Parish last year, according to the Coroner’s Office’s annual report.
Drug court is a diversionary program designed to heal abusers arrested on nonviolent felony drug offenses by weaning them off drugs and alcohol. Instead of jail, participants who plead guilty to their charges undergo at least 16 months of intensive outpatient treatment aimed at helping them overcome their addiction. After completing the rigorous requirements, participants’ cases are dismissed from their records.
Ten men and women who graduated the specialty court celebrated the triumph during a drug court ceremony inside the 19th JDC courthouse Friday.
They beamed with hope for a new beginning as they streamed into a courtroom packed full of supporters and shared their personal stories of struggle and redemption. Several credited the program with regaining control of their lives by helping them kick the habit.
“I know without them I would’ve fought a lost battle,” Ashley Dupri, one of the graduates, told those in attendance. “I couldn’t do it on my own because I was too stubborn. I needed guidance and someone to stay on my butt.”
Many of their journeys to recovery began in the courthouse corridors under duress, with little choice but to enroll to avoid jail time after they were arrested. But at Friday’s graduation, even those who admittedly began the process begrudgingly basked in the autonomy of their newfound sobriety.
“This program has been more than just a sequence of court dates and check-ins,” said Jacob Babin, one of the graduating participants. “It has proved that compassion and understanding can coexist with accountability.”
The graduates wore red gowns and tasseled caps. They reflected on their old habits and spoke of the promise of turning over a new leaf.
They thanked their network of supporters and spoke of their faith, giving testimony to the drastic changes they’ve seen in their lives on the road to recovery.
Some shed tears, others shared laughs. Afterward, loved ones, social service providers and others in the audience congratulated them and gave them words of encouragement.
“There’s no greater gift that you can give yourself than a better you,” said William Ruffin, of Capital Area Human Services District, a behavioral health clinic that provides treatment for many drug court enrollees. “If you give yourself a better you, you make this whole world a better place.”
The three-phased program is designed to treat the root causes of addiction. Participants must perform several hours of community service, undergo group, family and individual therapy sessions, involve themselves in a support network and provide mentorship to other addicts.
To graduate, they’re required to maintain employment, at least 90 days of sobriety, stable housing, go to weekly meetings with staff and appear for weekly or monthly court hearings. All participants are also subject to random drug screenings.
Most recovering addicts are referred to the specialized court by judges, prosecutors, probation officers or other stakeholders in the criminal justice system.
Jon Daily shared his struggles with addiction, telling the graduates he spent years in turmoil before he was “judicially influenced” to enroll in the East Baton Rouge District Attorney Office’s pre-trial diversionary program in 2009. It was a life-altering gemstone for him.
Now he’s 15 years sober and is a recovery peer support specialist and certified public accountant, serving as CFO of the EBR District Attorney’s Office.
“I didn’t want to do it, but I did it. And when I did, I found my people. Because y’all were speaking the language of the heart,” Daily said.
He told the graduates to find non-destructive habits to replace the substance abuse they once relied upon so they remain accountable and responsible. Daily also urged them to dig into the root causes of their trauma to continue to free themselves.
“Now you get to live a life that makes sense to you,” he said. “You guys have the opportunity to now only get a life back, but to recreate the life where you can actually do something different.”
The lessons hit home for the graduates. Holly Soileau said she was able to re-establish a relationship with her son after six years. She set goals for herself and keeps a regimen with steps to help her stick to mission. She also makes sure to help others on the path to recovery.
“I do today today, I’ll do tomorrow tomorrow and I keep it simple,” she said. “I don’t always get it right, but I stay good enough to look at myself and change what I need to change.
“I have the peace, courage and confidence that I looked for in drugs, but I don’t have to hurt myself anymore to get it,” Soileau added.
Curtis Still remembered coming to Baton Rouge with two garbage bags of clothes, $20 in his pocket and nowhere to go. Now, he said, he has a great job, a family by his side and a bright future.
“I have so much to be grateful for,” he told his comrades in the audience who are still navigating the drug court program. “If you genuinely want it, it is there for you. If you pray hard enough for it, He will provide you with it.”
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