IT'S A TIME OF THANKS FOR DRUG COURT GRADUATES

At a time of giving thanks, several graduates of the county's Substance
Abuse Treatment Courts program are grateful for the second chance they've
been given.

"I was lucky to be accepted (into the program) and I'm totally grateful
today," said 52-year-old Tony of Santa Maria, whose last name, like others
in this story, are withheld to protect identities.

The county's Substance Abuse Treatment Courts program, also called drug
court, is a "court-ordered rehabilitation program for severely-addicted
adults to help them develop a clean and sober lifestyle," according to
Craig Hamlin, deputy chief probation officer of adult services for the
County of Santa Barbara.

People need to meet certain criteria before being selected to participate
in the program.

Tony said he has six grandchildren, a car, and a "damn good job," and that
he loves getting phone calls from his grandchildren and spending time with
them.

"Life is good," he said. "I want to be here a long time."

Life wasn't always this good for Tony. Before entering the program, he
spent a majority of his time drunk on the streets. He was going to jail
every 30 to 60 days for public drunkenness, he said, and he also had
suicidal thoughts. His last time in jail lasted 27 days. He said that
during that time, he realized it was time for a change, and he just kept
praying.

Tony said the drug court program was the answer.

The average length of time each participant is in the program is 18 months,
Hamlin said. The program guides its participants to sobriety through drug
and alcohol counseling, drug testing, employment training, 12-step
meetings, and educational opportunities, Hamlin said. Child care, drug-free
housing and other services are offered.

Since its inception in March 1996, the program has graduated 120 people in
Santa Barbara County. And the number of drug courts nationwide has
increased - from 25 in March 1996 to more than 400 drug court programs
nationally today.

There is one division of drug court in Santa Barbara and another in Santa
Maria. The yearly cost of the program is $450,000 to $500,000, with most of
the funding coming from the Alcohol & Drug Program of the county's
Department of Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services, Hamlin said.
Remaining funds come from Medi-Cal and other grants.

"I've been in the business 28 years and this is one of the best," Hamlin
said. "It really changes peoples' lives."

If it weren't for the program, 36-year-old Arin of Santa Maria says she
would be back in jail and her three daughters would have been taken away
from her.

"Drug court was my first shot at recovery," said Arin, a former
methamphetamine, alcohol and marijuana user. "I wasn't doing anything with
my life. When I was using (drugs), I couldn't stand to be around (my kids.)
Now they're my buddies. I went from complete nothing to a life."

She said the desire to be with her children kept her going in the program.

One component of the program involves intense monitoring of the
participants' activities by law enforcement, probation officer, judges, and
other parties involved.

Participants may start out in the program getting drug-tested every day.
There are sanctions and rewards depending on the participant's behavior. A
key part in recovery is the determination of the individual, according to
Superior Court Judge Barbara Beck, who works with participants in the Santa
Maria program.

"Recovery must be the focus," Beck said. "I want to make them hungry for it.

"I tell people when they start out in the program that I'm in their back
pocket all the time," Beck said. "I'm wherever you go. I'm that nagging
voice on your shoulder that says, "Don't you dare.'"

At any given time, the Santa Maria division of the program will have 115 to
125 participants, with about 30 to 40 percent of them being from Lompoc,
Beck said. It costs about $15,000 to $20,000 to provide 18 months of
services to each participant, Beck said.

Fifty percent or more of the participants in the program are women, Beck
said. At a county Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, Beck said that at
least 14 drug-free babies have been born as a result of the program.

Two-year-old Lauren Nicole Hunt is one of those babies. Her mother, Debbie
Hunt, 32, graduated from the Santa Maria program and shared her story with
supervisors Tuesday.

"I'll be three years and nine months clean and sober on the 24th of this
month as a direct result of drug court," Hunt said as Lauren played with
the microphone.

"If you're wondering if (this program) works, it does," Hunt said. She said
that without the program, her daughter "would not be here," and that the
program gives her a chance to be a good mom.

"(Lauren's) never seen her mommy drunk," said Hunt, a former user of
methamphetamine and alcohol. "She's never seen her mommy high."

Studies from the Counseling/ Clinical/ School Psychology program at the
University of California, Santa Barbara show the effectiveness of the
program. Employees of this UCSB program evaluate participants while they
are in the program and twelve months after graduation.

Results show that 73 percent of graduates had no new arrests one year after
graduation, and 68 percent of graduates were in successful employment or
enrolled in school one year after graduation.

Of course, there is chance of relapse because "relapse is part of this
disease," according to Beck. But, she says that "people can't argue with
the success of" the program.

Tony, a graduate one year ago this coming January, said, "The thought of
drinking never goes away," but that he now has control over it. "I have the
hammer," he said confidently. "(Alcohol) was dominating my life. Now I have
control."