Pubdate: Sun, 18 Apr 2010
Source: Oshkosh Northwestern (WI)
Copyright: 2010 Gannett Co., Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/kGGzeQnS
Website: http://www.thenorthwestern.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2640
Author: Jennifer K. Woldt

ADDICT: I CAN'T SAY NO

A cocaine addiction is like a child's trip to the candy store for Rob 
Nitschke. When a child walks into a candy store and sees the shelves 
lined with hundreds of different candy options, it's difficult for 
them to make a decision and leave the store with just one lollypop or 
chocolate bar.

It's a similar experience for Nitschke, who finds himself struggling 
when faced with the choice to experience the rush he gets from a hit 
of cocaine or walk away.

"I can't say no," the 44-year-old Nitschke said.

That inability to say no led Nitschke down the path to his latest 
relapse and possible termination from the county's Safe Streets Drug 
Court, a program aimed at helping convicted felons address their 
addiction issues.

But Nitschke, who has been in the program for almost two years and 
now faces the prospect of going to prison if he is thrown out of the 
program after a recent relapse, said he doesn't believe the Drug 
court is capable of helping him address his addiction issues.

"It doesn't work. And it hasn't worked," Nitschke said.  "I know it's 
not going to turn me from an addict to a normal person."

No Easy Path to Sobriety

The frustration Nitschke feels is not an uncommon feeling for people 
attempting to overcome an addiction.  And it's not unexpected by the 
officials involved in running the Safe Streets Drug Court.

The drug court is a three-phase program for adults who have been 
convicted of non-violent, drug-related felony offenses and are having 
a difficult time staying sober.  Participants must make frequent 
court appearances, undergo random drug testing and attend group and 
individual counseling sessions while maintaining employment and 
performing community service.

Nitschke is not the first participant to face possible termination 
from the program.

While 20 people have graduated from the program since it was 
established in January 2006, 44 have failed -- by either committing 
new offenses, using drugs, missing or lying about drug tests, failing 
to comply with rules and conditions or by dropping out of the program.

Of those who didn't complete the program, 29 withdrew either because 
they had completed their probation and were no longer required to 
participate or they have stopped attending Drug court sessions and 
team members do not know where they are.

Fifteen people have been terminated from the program, which is not an 
easy task to accomplish.

Members of the Drug court team -- which includes prosecutors, judges, 
treatment providers, attorneys and probation agents -- realize people 
struggling to overcome addiction will rarely be able to kick the 
habit easily. They know that for every step forward a person takes 
towards sobriety, there will often be stumbles and steps backwards.

But a person's chances at successfully completely the program are not 
taken into account when they are placed into the program, said Carol 
Morack, Winnebago County's adult AODA and Safe Streets supervisor. 
Rather, she said those traits that may lead to struggles are taken 
into account when treatment plans are determined.

"You never know if they're going to complete or not complete when 
they start the program," she said.

In fact, members of the Drug court team make termination "almost 
impossible to achieve," said Winnebago County Circuit Court Judge 
Scott Woldt, one of two judges who oversee the program. Termination 
is only considered when the person's actions threaten the public's 
safety or undermine the integrity of the program.

"My philosophy is that we never terminate anyone for continued use. 
There has to be something connected to it," Woldt said. "If someone 
is continuing to use, we ask ourselves, 'What are we not doing as a 
program to help this person?'"

Even if termination proceedings are started, Woldt said it's not a 
given that the person will be thrown out of the program. The judge 
who presides over the termination hearing must consider whether all 
options available have been offered to the person. In three cases, 
Woldt said he has found an option has existed that had not been tried 
and rather than terminating the person, he decided to keep them in Drug court.

"Is there anything else I can do for the person? If there is, I keep 
them in," Woldt said.

Relapse, Manipulation

Nitschke entered the program in mid-July 2008 as an alternative to 
serving prison time when his probation on a cocaine delivery 
conviction was being revoked after he relapsed and began using cocaine again.

Even though he was skeptical, Nitschke said he agreed to Drug court 
because he did not want to go to prison.

During the nearly two years he's been in the program, Nitschke has 
been involved in outpatient treatment -- going to group and 
individual counseling sessions to help address his addiction as well 
as undergoing random drug testing, maintaining employment and doing 
community service.

While he has had some successes, Nitschke said the program as a whole 
isn't working for him.

Since he started drug court, Nitschke has had 20 relapses that have 
resulted in him having to spend time in jail, do additional community 
services, or start a phase over.

Laura Nitschke, 31, has watched as her husband struggled with 
sobriety. A former cocaine addict herself, she said she knows how 
difficult it is to kick the addiction.

While Drug court may be helpful for some, she said it's not the right 
way for her husband to fight addiction and be the father his son, who 
turns 3 next month, and her three other children need.

"It's not Rob's fault," she said. "It's a disease. He's tried to 
fight it but it's getting the best of him."

Nitschke said he thinks inpatient treatment might help him address 
his addiction. He said he has asked the Drug court team for inpatient 
treatment on a number of different occasions, but each time has been denied.

However, Morack said that isn't the case.

After his most recent relapse in March, the Drug court decided to 
file the petition for termination because of Nitschke's 
"unwillingness to respond to interventions."

Morack said she was unable to talk specifically about why the team 
believed termination was the best option for Nitschke due to the 
pending termination hearing on April 26, but she said the team tried 
many different options with Nitschke, including offering him 
inpatient treatment on at least two occasions.

Each time, Nitschke refused the treatment and provided excuses such 
as not believing it would work or needing to keep working to support 
the family.

"We considered his pattern of using, lying and manipulating, which 
continued to reinforce his unwillingness to participate in the 
recovery program," Morack said. "In addition to all of his rule 
violations, we concluded keeping him in the program would not only be 
detrimental to our program as a whole, but also to other participants 
because we are taking all of these resources away from other people 
who are willing to utilize them and make a commitment to the recovery program."

No More Chances?

Nitschke ran into his most recent bump in his road to sobriety on 
March 5 when he went to do community service at St. Vincent de Paul.

But instead of spending his time giving back to the community, 
Nitschke found himself face to face with his addiction when a former 
co-worker came in and offered him cocaine.

One hit of cocaine in a St. Vincent de Paul bathroom led to a 
combination of more cocaine and Oxycontin at the residence of an 
acquaintance. After blacking out and suffering a seizure, Nitschke 
said he remembers having one more eight-ball of cocaine before he 
woke up and ordered pizza at what he thought was Rocky Rococo's.

He was actually at the emergency room at Mercy Medical Center. He 
tried to leave, but was stopped by a security guard, admitted to the 
hospital and handcuffed to the bed in the intensive care unit.

Nitschke estimates he did 7 or 8 grams of cocaine in a 12-hour period 
that night.

"I don't know if I can say no," said Nitschke, who admitted the last 
relapse scared him. "I know I need to say no and (doctors) say one 
more (relapse) and I'll probably be done."

After being released from the hospital on March 9, Nitschke was 
transferred to the Winnebago County Jail, where he is waiting to find 
out what will happen to him next.

A hearing is scheduled for April 26 before Winnebago County Circuit 
Court Judge Barbara Key, one of the two judges who presides over Drug 
court. At that time, arguments will be made about whether Nitschke 
should be terminated from the program and sent to prison.

While Laura Nitschke doesn't want to think about how to break the 
news to her kids that her husband has been sent to prison, Rob 
Nitschke said spending time behind prison bars might be a better 
option for him instead of going back to drug court.

"I don't think anything good can come out of it now," Nitschke said. 
"Part of me does want to go to prison." 
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