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Your Success Continues!
We’re off and running for National Drug Court Month 2018! A lot of great activity and news is happening on Twitter; we hope you’ll chime in to the conversation! And thank you for your submissions; they brighten our week, and we’d love to see more of them. Here’s a roundup of events from week 2:
Support from Your Elected Officials
The first Congressional floor speech in support of Drug Court Month was delivered by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who said, “You don’t write off thousands of Ohioans struggling with addiction. You simply don’t write off entire communities. That’s where drug courts come in.” He also noted, “My office recently visited the first federal veterans court in Dayton. We saw the difference it makes in the lives of men and women who served our country.”
Tennessee and Florida are among the first statewide proclamations! Governors Bill Haslam (R-TN) and Rick Scott (R-FL) both signed documents declaring May National Drug Court Month.
Featured Event: Veterans Drum Circle | Stark County, Ohio
U.S. Army veteran Stan Nabors felt isolated when he returned from Iraq, struggling with head injuries and invisible wounds he didn’t think anyone else could understand. But he found camaraderie and regained his sense of purpose when he volunteered as a veteran mentor in the Stark County Honor Court: “It changed my life. And I was able to give back. Helping these guys and girls, besides my family, is the most important thing in my life.”
Featured Graduation | Jackson, Missouri
It was standing room only to celebrate 10 lives walking out of the justice system and into long-term recovery thanks to the treatment court serving Missouri’s 32nd Judicial District. Judge Scott Lipke reminded the graduates, “You may have felt ashamed [of having a substance use disorder], at first. Not anymore. You shouldn’t. Everyone who came into this program had worth.”
Scroll through the full series of powerful photos here.
Graduation Roundup | Hawaii, Indiana, Mississippi, Georgia
“Meth is what brought me to my knees. My life was so unimaginable, the insanity I brought to my life.” Now, “Life is beautiful and amazing.”
-Heather, Big Island Drug Court graduate, Hawaii
“My life today is unrecognizable from where it was two years ago. For the first time in a long time, I can say, ‘My life is good!'”
-Jason, Hamilton County Drug Court graduate, Indiana
“You’ve got to have a purpose or you ain’t going to make it. Don’t let anything get you off course.”
-Chris Buckhalter, athlete in recovery in Forest-Perry Counties, Mississippi
“The reality is for those of us who are blessed enough to find a program of recovery, we have a design for living.”
-Steve Herndon, former NFL player in recovery in Troup County, Georgia
What is your treatment court doing for National Drug Court Month? Tell us here.