DRUG COURT READY FOR FIRST GRADUATES

Samuel Bennett says he's had an alcohol and drug problem for 25 years.

"My alcoholism turned into drugs," the 41-year-old West Palm Beach man
said. "I became a heroin addict. That's when I really started to hit skid
row. I never fully admitted I had a problem. I thought I could do it my
way, use drugs and alcohol socially."

It took an arrest for cocaine possession in May for him to shake that
lifestyle.

He decided to enter Palm Beach County's drug court, which began a year ago
and is focused on rehabilitation, not prison. He had a dual motivation: He
wanted to get clean, and his chances for pursuing a state building
inspector's license could be hurt by a felony conviction. If he completes
the program, he won't have a felony on his record.

So he entered the strict program with its weekly schedule of court
appearances, unscheduled drug tests, attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous or
Narcotics Anonymous meetings and multiple counseling sessions.

"I didn't know how to help myself, but this system has given me the help
with the guidance I needed. They've guided me in the right direction, and
it was up to me to take it and go with it. For someone who doesn't know how
to change, this is the opportunity to do it," he said.

Bennett had something to celebrate last week, after checking in with County
Judge Nelson E. Bailey, who has overseen the drug court from its planning
stages.

"Tomorrow I will celebrate my six months of clean and sober," Bennett said
on Monday. "My life has since turned around 180 degrees. People who see me
now don't even recognize me. My attitude has changed, my behavior has
changed. It's great."

A year after the drug court began, there are now about 200 people in the
program, said coordinator Dorrie Tyng. Forty-one people dropped out for one
reason or another, and 14 others were kicked out after being arrested on
new charges, Tyng said.

Two or three people, the first to complete the program, are slated to
graduate in late December. Because the program still is new, there is
little in the way of statistics to measure its effectiveness, said Bailey.

"Statistically, I don't know how it will show, but the reality in our
courtroom is mind-boggling. We are accomplishing things beyond anything we
thought we could," he said. "We are making so much progress and they are so
appreciative that I'm amazed."

Some measure of success can be found in participants who were once regular
drug users now testing clean, Tyng said, even though they may have had
relapses along the way.

"We have addicts in our program who have been using drugs, by their own
admission, for 10 or 13 years. They have been in our program for nine or 10
months. They are testing negative. These people wanted to get help and
they're staying clean. That tells me we are on the right track," she said.

The program received $275,000 for the first year from the county's Drug
Abuse Trust Fund Committee, and a $30,000 grant from the U.S. Department of
Justice to set up the court. In October, the program received a $500,000
federal grant for its operation through September, Tyng said. With the
extra money, two more drug court staffers will be hired, bringing the total
to five.

On a recent day in drug court, several people volunteered to talk to a
reporter about their experiences, although they didn't want their last
names used because they are trying to get their lives back on track. They
were almost evangelical in their enthusiasm for the program.

One Delray Beach man, Mark, 38, was arrested for cocaine possession for the
second time in May, in addition to four previous DUI arrests. He said he
started down the path to addiction as a youth.

"It starts out when you're young being a lot of fun with little
consequences. As you get older, it's a lot less fun and a lot more
consequences," he said. With the latest arrest, it was time to reassess
where he was headed.

"Most of all I had an emptiness inside myself. I had so much fear and guilt
and shame in the way I was living my life. I don't want to be a slave to
any substance -- it's truly like being in prison. Recovery is a process,"
he said.

"I know I'm an addict and an alcoholic. It took 20 years to get a certain
way, being an addict and an alcoholic, and I knew I needed help to stay a
certain way -- stopped. I'm doing great. I've had perfect attendance. Not
one positive test."

There are four phases to the drug court program, and participants must
progress through them all to graduate. The drug court team assesses the
offenders' needs and monitors their progress, placing each offender in the
appropriate level.

Those offenders who test positive aren't automatically thrown out of the
program. They are given second and third chances, but there can be
punishments, ranging from a few days in jail to an intensive 30-day jail
stay coupled with counseling, Tyng said.

"Four clients are in there right now," she said. "In many cases, that is
what they needed for motivation or to get a better start."

A married couple said they were arrested four months ago for cocaine
possession. They quit drinking nearly 10 years ago, but then started
smoking crack cocaine, trading one addiction for another.

"It's the best thing that happened to us," said Jerry, 44, of Jupiter. "We
can look back and there are times when we laugh, times when we cry. I'm
glad to be here. They've got all kinds of people we can call if we think
we're going to slip."