On rare occasions, my background in medicine studies meets my deep personal background meets the reporting I now do for my community @eastlansinginfo. I just came from such an occasion: East Lansing 54B District Court "Drug Court" graduation. 1/n
@eastlansinginfo Probation Officer Amy Iseler (left) and Judge Andrea Larkin (right) get it -- that opioid use disorders require deep, supportive interventions if people are to be saved. They get that people with the disorder struggle with shame, loneliness, low self-worth and need huge help. 
@eastlansinginfo One mother joined her graduating son, talked about her own opioid use disorder. She said he had found his best friend dead of overdose. "In your court," she said, "everything was different. You treated him with dignity and respect. You saw him as a person.... You are my heroes."
@eastlansinginfo This is that man's artwork. Each graduate of our Drug Court produces a canvas upon graduation, and they are hung together to remind others that recovery is possible. He said his speaks to the need to uncover who you really are through recovery, to learn to love yourself.
@eastlansinginfo Said his mother to him: "I think your addiction started from my addiction to opioids. We both had so much pain in our hearts." I feel so fortunate to live in a place where we can deal with the issues of shame and pain and not just incarcerate and let rot.
@eastlansinginfo When I graduated from high school, I was opioid-dependent. I gave my speech as salutatorian of Northport High School stoned on cough medicine. I had figured out a way to get an essentially unlimited supply. A pharmacist figured out what I was doing and stopped me.
@eastlansinginfo My family life was a mess. A teacher was using me for sex. So codeine cough syrup dulled all the pain. My teachers kept giving me A's to "help" me. Watching the graduates today, I could definitely see myself in them. I just got lucky. So did they, eventually, with our court.
@eastlansinginfo There are still days when I crave the deadening feeling of opioids.
@eastlansinginfo It's remarkable to me to watch people in positions of authority get that this is a lifelong process that requires enormous amounts of work.
And on that note, here's a photo from my run this morning.
And on that note, here's a photo from my run this morning.
