Drug Court program honors first 2 grads

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

After a number of smaller successes during its first months of existence, the Van Wert County Drug Court celebrated its first two graduates on Tuesday.

Sonny Metzger and Emily Bollenbacher successfully completed the final phase of the four-phase substance abuse treatment program and were honored by Van Wert County Common Pleas Judge Martin D. Burchfield for their accomplishments.

Both have been “clean” for 17 months and had no positive drug screens while on the drug court program.

Metzger said he last used heroin, his drug of choice, on November 16, 2014. He had been arrested on a heroin possession charge in August of that year and had then begun Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12 Step Program.

“I guess I can say that’s when everything started for me,” he added.

Metzger noted, though, that he had one relapse not too long after going to AA meetings.

“I fought it a little bit,” Metzger said. “I thought I could handle using recreationally.”

It was after his relapse that he decided he had to get serious about breaking his addiction.

“I just got tired of it, and knew I was destined to pretty much die,” Metzger said, adding that he was probably trying to die at the time, but was turned around by people in his life that loved and supported him.

“It’s been uphill ever since,” he added, although he noted it wasn’t all easy.

Metzger said the day-to-day support and oversight of the Drug Court program was what kept him clean and sober. “It’s definitely a good program, if you want to quit using,” he said.

Judge Burchfield noted that Metzger’s recovery was even more remarkable because he had an additional challenge while in the program. Metzger was involved in a serious traffic accident and had to be placed on pain medication for several weeks, which meant his Drug Court program was put on hold until he was off pain meds.

Metzger, who quit high school early, has now earned his GED and is taking college classes leading to a degree in social work so he can further help fellow addicts in their struggle to quit using. He said he is happier than he has ever been and also has his daughter now living with him — something that couldn’t have happened if he was still using.

Bollenbacher, who said she thought she was “a badass” before getting into the Drug Court program, said she was angry at first when selected to participate in the program.

“I was really mad they put me in Drug Court,” she said, adding she didn’t want anyone telling her what to do and thought she could handle taking drugs on her own.

That changed, though, after she got into the program and Bollenbacher, who calls herself a “very determined” person, began to see the benefits of beating her addiction.

The program begins with Phase I, a 16-week period of daily drug screens, eight early recovery skills sessions, 12 family and education sessions, and 32 relapse prevention sessions under Westwood Behavioral Health Center’s Matrix Model treatment program. Participants must also attend at least three other support or pro-social activities through Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, or Celebrate Recovery, as well as other approved activities, and meet weekly with Judge Burchfield to review results.

Infractions are dealt with immediately, with additional jail time or other conditions often added to a participant’s community control. Serious violations had led to participants being removed from the program, with some people sent to prison to serve their original sentences.

The other three phases of the program continue intensive treatment, but drug screens and other oversight decrease as participants progress through the program. Some participants can also opt to take Vivitrol to combat their urges to use opiates. Vivitrol has the advantage of not being an opiate itself, unlike the other two drugs — Suboxone and Methadone – most often used to treat opiate addiction.

Retired Judge Charles D. Steele, who created the Drug Court program, was on hand for Metzger and Bollenbacher’s graduation and said he was very pleased to see them successfully complete the program.

“Sonny was one of the first four I started with (in the Drug Court program),” the judge said, noting that, despite Metzger’s challenges, he made it through.

While admitting all participants don’t do as well as Metzger and Bollenbacher, both of whom had no positive drug screens while in the program, Judge Steele said most participants are serious about getting off drugs.

“More people should come up here and see what it is like and how hard these kids work at it,” he noted.

Mark Spieles, executive director of Westwood Behavioral Health Center, which provides a variety of counseling services for Drug Court participants, was very pleased for Metzger and Bollenbacher.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of them,” Spieles said, adding that both had significant challenges during the program, citing Metzger’s accident and Bollenbacher’s having a baby. “When you see where they started and the journey they’ve made over the past 12-14 months, it’s incredible.

“To see the physical transformation, the mental transformation: these individuals were in and out of jail all the time,” Spieles added. “Now, they’re sober for over a year, they are getting and maintaining employment, we’ve had a healthy baby born (and) one’s in college so he can continue to pass along what he’s learned and help others.”

Spieles said putting the Drug Court program together was not always a smooth process, but the results are worth the challenges seen during that process.

“To see the community come together and all the organizations and agencies come together to make this happen is an incredible thing,” he noted. “From both a social standpoint and a financial standpoint, these programs will pay for themselves over and over and over again.”