A recent graduate of the Cook County Substance Abuse Recovery Court (or drug court, as it is called in some places) gives credit to the local system that embraced her and helped her as she struggled to break her long-running dependency on drugs and alcohol.
“They didn’t give up on me even when I had given up on myself,” she said, asking for anonymity for this interview.
Still, she admitted that to get clean, at the end of the day, it’s really your choice, “You really have to want it. You really have to work hard and want to change.”
She’s been clean for two years now and was excited to talk about how her life has changed. “I never thought I would be where I am today. I have rented an apartment that I am paying for. I have bought big-ticket items, even a car, these are things I could never afford before because every dime I made went to keep paying for my drug and alcohol addiction.”
Repairing relationships has been harder, but she’s working on those one by one.
“When you’re high, you are on top of the world and you think everything is going great. But it’s not. You are letting people down, hurting people that care about you the most. I’m working really hard to bring those people back into my life, but I understand that I messed up a lot. It’s going to take some time.”
Her years of chemical addictions led her into contact with law enforcement, and those encounters put her in the court system. Once there, she was ordered into treatment, but after initial success coming out of them, she would slip back into her old habits.
“I first reached out for help in 2010. I was in and out of treatment, seven, eight times. A series of things were happening to me, and I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing. I kept slipping up and ending up back in treatment. It wasn’t until the last time that I was sent to the Cities and had to stay for five months that I started to figure things out. I was out of my element and uncomfortable for the first month to month and a half, but then I got used to it. One of the things I had to do was written assignments and write about myself. Doing these assignments was a lot harder than being in jail. When I sat down and wrote, I had to take a long, hard look at myself and who I had become. That was very difficult. It was very painful, but it really helped me.”
Early on, she said she didn’t believe any program worked. “I didn’t believe a support system would do me any good. I really didn’t believe in any of it.”
Her lack of belief in the Cook County Substance Abuse Recovery Court (SURC) program meant she had a long haul ahead of her.
“I was a tough student. I started the program in December 2015 and just finished.
“For anybody going through a program who wants to clean up their lives, I advise them to get a sponsor. They will hold you accountable when you slip and they will help guide you so you can make the changes you need to make.
“All of the legal things I have had to deal with have come because of my addiction,” she said.
One of the people who helped her was former Cook County Probation Officer Steve Borud. She suggested he would be a good person to reach out to, and so we did.
“Because Cook County has a small population that is interrelated, I knew her, her family, and her extended family going back to 1985. The struggle with addiction was painful for her, but painful to watch as well. Initially, drugs and alcohol were such a part of her life that it was likely intertwined with all aspects of her physical, emotional, and spiritual being. And is so often the case with addiction, the risks she took while using drugs and alcohol landed her in legal trouble.”
“At first, the thought of sobriety was something others wanted for her more than she seemed to want for herself, but eventually, she really wanted to be sober. She plugged into a lot of local support. People from the courts and recovery community loved getting to know her for who she really is, and we all enjoyed seeing what she could accomplish. She is artistic, strong, and has a lot of life experience to contribute to the community.”
But as Steve noted, success wasn’t always long term.
“There were the relapses. Nobody was more disappointed than she was with relapsing. It was painful. That is where the SURC court came in to play. The SURC court is set up to not give up. It requires a lot from the participants and from the team that works with the Court. When I say I am proud of “her,” I’m on the verge of tears. She struggled, and she stuck with it. When this damnable COVID-19 lifts, I want to head north and celebrate her success with the SURC team.
“Cook County is perfectly postured to shine in the areas of recovery courts and restorative justice. The relationships in Cook County so often run deep, which is wonderful and hard at the same time. I’m sure she found that to be true.”
What is Substance Abuse Recovery Court?
Substance abuse court’s goal is to reduce substance abuse and recidivism while striving to assist offenders as they reintegrate into their communities.
“By achieving a sober lifestyle, chemically dependent offenders are less likely to commit crimes and are more likely to be employed and to be providers for their families. Specialty courts not only save money and increase public safety by reducing crime; they also change the lives of the offenders and their families.”
The quote came from the Minnesota Judicial Website regarding Specialty Courts in Duluth.
In Cook County, Substance Abuse Recovery Court takes clients that are drug or alcohol dependent and have been charged with DWI, drug possession, and other serious crimes.
Defendants involved in cases involving violent crimes are not eligible for the program.
In a traditional case, a prosecutor charges a defendant, the defense attorney defends the case, the judge and jury determine innocence or guilt. If guilty, the defendant is incarcerated or released into probation.
“The defendant doesn’t see the judge or attorneys again unless they have violated probation and they are being punished for it. Success and periods of sobriety aren’t rewarded or recognized. The overall health of the ‘whole person’ (environmental, physical, social, etc.) is not addressed by the court system and mandates for treatment are often unsuccessful,” said Cook County Attorney Molly Hicken.
“The person comes out on the other end having been punished, but perhaps not healed, and ends up back in the system.”
“Drug courts result in more defendants turning their lives around and becoming healthy, law-abiding citizens. Research also shows that when these strategies are implemented correctly, they improve public safety and save taxpayer dollars.”
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