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Recovery in the News
Loosening the grip of addiction: A 12-step program at the Fayette County Detention Center helps women overcome alcohol and drug abuse
Barbara Isaacs
Lexington Herald Leader
December 9, 2006
One by one, the women in their drab green jumpsuits stepped forward for a hug.
It's a nearly daily ritual for the 20 women in the new Women's Hope Recovery Program at the Fayette County Detention Center.
Leigh Leonard, the eight-years-sober alcoholic and drug abuser who leads the program, gladly gave out the hugs, and the validation that mattered most:
"All these women want is for someone to care about them," Leonard said.
That in itself is a fairly major evolution.
A few months ago, they didn't care about themselves, or anyone they loved, nearly as much as the substances that defined their existence.
They were tight in the grip of addiction -- some of them hooked on pills, others on alcohol, crack, OxyContin or a combination.
Most of them now bear little resemblance to the hardened women in their mug shots.
The recovery program requires four months of intense examination of a lifetime of pain, hardships and regrets that culminated in addiction and incarceration.
The first group of three women will graduate from the program Monday; a fourth completed the program Thursday.
It is the first proud achievement any of them have had in a very long time.
Lexington 's Denise Bankston, 36, is one of the graduates. The mother of five sons recently was sentenced to 10 years for drug trafficking and will soon relocate to the Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women at Pewee Valley.
"I found out a lot of things about myself that I didn't like," Bankston said. "It's been a painful process, but it's so worth it. It's the best thing I ever chose to do in my life. It's given me back my relationship with my family, my God, my children and myself."
Daily meditation
Last Friday, like every morning, the women gathered in the jail's multipurpose room for morning meditation. They intoned the Serenity Prayer, the mantra for all people in 12-step recovery programs.
Behind them, a colorful mural read: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." It shows a swinging bridge with gaping holes and ominous orange fire below.
The women share where they are emotionally. As is typical at 12-step meetings, they tell their names and addictions and then talk about their concerns.
The group's cut-up, 40-year-old Toni Faulkner, who wears an earring fashioned from aluminum foil, is dead serious for a moment when she tells them the program is "doing her wonders. I hope to go home to stay as sober as I am now."
The bulk of the morning is a twice-weekly community meeting. It's an exercise in accountability.
"It looks like punishment," said Trina Perdue, who will graduate from the program Monday. "But it really teaches you, like learning from your mistakes."
Two women in the group put themselves "on the board" during the meeting.
They own up to mistakes they've made in adhering to the 12 steps or to the program's rules. Their names go on a dry-erase board at the front of the room and the women and staff brainstorm lengthy essay questions to help them gain insight on their problems.
Both women have broken rules related to a newcomer to the group, a young woman who didn't want to be identified in the newspaper.
Someone in the regular jail population offered the newcomer Seroquel, a medication normally used for treating schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression, in exchange for her boxer shorts. Boxer shorts are a major luxury item, Leonard said, and contraband bartering will sometimes take place to get them. Seroquel is often a drug of choice in jail because it works as a sleep aid, Leonard said.
The newcomer faced serious temptation because she was in the process of kicking heroin, and sleeping more would have felt great. But there's a zero-tolerance policy in the program for any mood-altering drugs.
Christine Pearce, one of the newcomer's friends, defended her to the group and called out two women, Jessica Prewitt and Sandra Risner, for gossiping about it and not trying to assist the newcomer.
"Everything in here goes against everything I've been praised for all my life," Pearce said of the program. "I'm not embarrassed no more. It's the only way I'm gonna stay out of here."
"I have gotten high in this jail before" with the newcomer, Pearce said. "It's up to all of us to help her."
The group suggested a variety of essays Prewitt could write -- 1,500 words on how her actions can help or hurt others, for example. The group voted, and Prewitt will write 3,100 words on several topics, due in two weeks.
Preparing for life outside
Four women completed the program, but it was nearly only three. Sandra Risner was released from jail Thursday, four days before the official graduation. Risner also was involved in the gossip about the newcomer. Originally, the Winchester woman planned to stay in jail the extra four days to complete the program, but she decided against that. Leonard and others decided that Risner could finish the program a few days early.
At 24, Risner is a recovering IV drug user who was addicted to OxyContin and morphine. She estimated she's been jailed about 10 times, mostly for shoplifting to support her habit.
"I'm thinking about using," Risner told the group. "There are a lot of things going through my head."
Leonard cautioned Risner that she needs a plan to keep from relapsing. "This kind of stuff is dangerous when you get out of here," Leonard said. "History says that we never do one of anything .... You're in a real dangerous spot."
The group listed a long string of essays for Risner to write, including "What will I lose if I relapse?" and "What am I really afraid of?" And every time the group met until her release, Risner agreed to announce: "I'm Sandra. I'm full of fear. Ask me why."
On her release, Risner moved to Grace Happens, a Lexington halfway house.
Success expectations
Leonard expects the program will have a similar success rate as the women's recovery program at the Hope Center. In its most recent survey, the Hope Center contacted 54 percent of the women who had been in treatment, and 69 percent of them were still clean a year later.
Leonard said the sessions are similar to those used for men in recovery.
"But the men don't participate in community the way the women do," she said. "It makes a huge difference -- if you do participate in community, you have a better chance of staying sober."
Before the new program, the jail offered a limited number of resources for women with drug and alcohol addiction.
"There was really a need for more alcohol and substance abuse programs," Leonard said. Six women are currently on the waiting list. The city of Lexington pays $175,000 a year for the program, which is run by the Hope Center.
Perdue, 34, another of the graduates, is a recovering crack addict who used for 13 years before being jailed July 20 on a probation violation and theft charge. "I was just tired of the hustle and getting high," Perdue said about why she entered the program. "You have to want it, to get sober and get clean."
Leonard said that she had her doubts; she thought Perdue might not stick with the program. Now, she believes Perdue could someday work in the recovery field.
Lexington 's Debra Cornes, 35, is graduating from the program Monday and hopes to be clean long-term. Cornes was addicted to pain pills and alcohol.
The court ordered Cornes to attend the program. "Judge Noble that sent me here, she saved my life." Cornes was jailed on a probation violation.
"It's just let me be more honest with myself," she said. "I'm looking forward to staying clean and sober and having a new life."
Denise Bankston, participant in Women's Hope Recovery Program
(c) 2006 Lexington Herald-Leader and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.