ESCANABA — The first graduation of the Delta County Drug Court took place in circuit court Tuesday with several people attending including judges, court staff, law enforcement and other members of the drug court team as well as family and friends of the three graduates.

The three 2018 Delta County Drug Court graduates are April Dubord-Eskofski, Amara Nelson and Joseph Shinaver, who have all completed the recovery program and been drug-free for more than 15 months.

During Tuesday’s ceremony, Jeana LaCarte, county magistrate and drug court case manager, read written testimonials from Nelson and Shinaver, as well as a statement from Dubord-Eskofski’s mother.

Nelson wrote in her statement: “I’ll start by thanking everyone on the drug court team. You are all truly a blessing in my life. Drug court has saved my life, and I can see it saving many others as well. It is such a great feeling having support from people who you would usually see as people who want to punish you.

To me, recovery is all about changing everything in your life, from the way you think to the people we hang out with. Drug court gives you the tools to make these necessary changes to learn how to live your life drug free.

During my addiction, it didn’t matter what was going on in my life. Drugs were always my number one priority. I got so low in my addiction that I didn’t even like seeing my reflection in the mirror. Today, I can say that I am proud of the person I’m becoming and all that I have accomplished. Today, my happiness and children are my number one priority.

Through this process, I have become a better person, I have gained custody of my children back and I have become a better mother. I am so grateful that drug court is in Delta County to help other people who have the same struggles as me.

Oftentimes, I feel addicts are looked down on, they feel worthless and that there is no way out. I hope I bring hope and light to anyone struggling with addiction and show them there is a way out!.”

Shinaver wrote in his statement: “I am grateful for drug court because they helped me stay clean for one, and for two, it made me look at the court system a little differently. It helped me to see a more positive and caring side of the court system as a whole.

The drug court staff were available whenever I needed them and proved to be helpful to me.

Drug court helped me improve my life in more areas than just staying sober. It helped me improve my family relationships and medically on many levels. I am appreciative for the dental work that is being done and for the dentist that made his services available to me.

I just want to say thank you to drug court for helping me change my life for the better.”

Dubord-Eskofski’s mother stated in an email to the drug court and her daughter: “Congrats on your graduation! I had prayed for you for so long with no answer in site, with your behavior becoming increasingly erratic and nothing going in the right direction. Then along came drug court! Do I think it was an answer to prayer? Absolutely! God is always working even when we aren’t getting the answers we want. His time, not ours. I’m thankful to all those who have faith to run this program, that have the compassion that few people have to help those who need it most. I’m sure it can be a very thankless task at times but this mom thanks you from the bottom of her heart for your tireless determination to rescue those trapped in addiction. It’s always darkest before dawn. Never give up hope!”

The county’s drug court program began in July 2016 to help addicts recover from their drug dependencies and also to stop the cycle of crime that often accompanies addictions.

Currently, 11 other individuals are participating in the 15- to 24-month program which is funded through state and federal grants and operated under specific state standards. Following an initial screening and assessment of each drug court candidate, participants follow an individualized self-help program with support from various entities throughout four phases.

In addition, participants are subject to random drug testings and are held accountable to follow all drug court rules while being closely supervised by court personnel. There are tools to emphasize and reward positive behavior while disciplines, such as jail time, are in place for negative behavior.

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Jenny Lancour, (906) 786-2021, ext. 143, jlancour@dailypress.net