Ohio Drug Court Graduates Credit Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Three men graduated from Fulton County Drug Court this month with more than a certificate. Scott Ward, Michael Burch and Mathias Petersen left the program employed and two had more than two years of sobriety under their belts. Each story also reflected the need for dual diagnosis treatment. Alongside addiction, each lived with depression, grief and thoughts of suicide long before they found recovery.

The Ohio program was monitored by Fulton County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Haselman and allows defendants whose crimes are tied to drug or alcohol dependence to complete treatment under court supervision instead of prison. On graduation day, all three men stood in front of the court and described what that structure made possible.

All of them used drugs to numb pain that had never been treated. In response, the drug court in Ohio didn’t just demand sobriety. It required them to face the conditions underneath it.

Depression Behind the Substance Use

Michael Burch was one of the youngest graduates the court has seen. He used marijuana and alcohol to numb his feelings, even though it didn’t work. The program offered insight into where his life was heading. 

Mathias Petersen’s path into drinking began with loss. He started using alcohol to numb pain after his mother died of cancer when he was 16. Intense depression led to suicide attempts and repeated run-ins with the law. The turning point was his daughter’s birth. He became a whole different person, and Petersen called fatherhood the greatest blessing of his life. “I don’t ever want her to see dad drinking.”

Scott Ward was unsure the program would work. He had no job, license, money and a schedule packed with appointments. He attended weekly meetings with drug court coordinator Erica Burkholder and went to Alcoholics Anonymous and other free programs. 

Ward got his license back, pulled his house out of foreclosure and now has more than two years sober.

The Drug Court Model Works for Co Occurring Disorders

Depression, grief, and suicidal thinking rarely show up alone. For all three graduates, substance use was wrapped around an untreated mental health condition. That combination is exactly what dual diagnoses address with therapy and psychiatric care.

Drug court provides accountability and the treatment team provides consistent human support. Burch thanked drug court life skills specialist Ashley Franz and coordinator Erica Burkholder for backing him through the rough stretches. Petersen called Burkholder “a Godsend, a saint when it comes to helping people like me that need it.”

Judge Haselman observed that the men deserved credit themselves. “What you come to realize is that we don’t save anybody, they save themselves. You decide this life one second at a time.” The court and the treatment team provide support, but success depends on the person.

The Next Steps

All three men have plans that sound ordinary and are anything but. Ward has his license, home and sobriety. Petersen wants to be re-baptized and help others struggling with alcoholism and he credited his faith alongside his treatment team. Burch spoke with pride about reaching graduation after wanting to quit more than once.

Courts save lives but many people thankfully don’t reach that point. Treatment options exist in any neighborhood in the USA. To find one that suits your needs, simply browse our directory by location.

Feel free to also dial 800-908-4823 (Sponsored) to chat directly with an expert about local options.

Author

Eric Owens

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Eric Owens has been a writer and editor for various businesses as well as his own successful websites. He has extensive experience creating content in the health and wellness space and the sustainability space. He holds a bachelor degree in Philosophy which helped him with presenting complex information in a simple way that all audiences can understand.

Editor

Peter Lee, PhD

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Peter W.Y. Lee is a writer and historian of American history during the Cold War. His primary focus is the relationship between youth and popular culture and its impact on U.S. society during the twentieth century. He has published widely on how the public has used popular culture as a mechanism to address political and social shifts throughout time