There are 39 similar court-supervised drug treatment programs throughout Maryland, but Howard is one of only three counties whose program includes an alcohol treatment component, Fine said. The others are Anne Arundel and Harford counties, she said.
"There are a lot of people who get DUIs, and they either get [probation before judgment] or probation, but they're not really supervised," Fine said. "People who are third-timers need something more, and we thought the treatment aspect was needed."
The Howard ceremony is held twice a year, Fine said. Last month's graduation was the county's seventh since the program began, and 54 people have completed the program, Fine said. The drug court was established in 2004, and the DUI component was added the next year.
"Drug and DUI courts work," said District Judge Neil Axel, who presided over the graduation ceremony. "With these programs, we are breaking the cycle of addiction, we are changing lives, we are strengthening families and we are improving our community."
Howard County's chief administrative officer, Lonnie Robbins, said to the graduates: "As a community, we are proud of you for going through this program. Today's ceremony announced to the world that you are ready to move to the next step."
Several drug court participants said it helped them get a new start. A poem written by one of the graduates was included in the program for the ceremony:
You had the time to spread your wings
Now it's time for you to fly
Embrace life with open arms
And know that you got through the worst of the storm
Know that you are exactly where you are supposed to be
And life can be all you ever dreamed it to be.
For Parker, the small things in life bring him happiness these days, such as being able to spend Halloween with his child. He attends daily Narcotics Anonymous meetings, even though the court mandates that he attend only three to four a week.
"This is a celebration, but my process still goes on," he said. "This drug court team believed in me and saw some stuff I didn't see in myself. I didn't think I ever had anything to offer anybody."
