Sobriety Court Helped Woman Face Challenges
Graduate of Substance Abuse Program Shares Experiences
By Karen Gould

Rita Burgess of Levering is the first person to be graduated from the 92nd District Sobriety Court program for Mackinac County.

Last spring, Ms. Burgess was driving along US-2, returning from visiting family in Wisconsin, when she was pulled over by an officer from the Mackinac County Sheriff's Department. Intoxicated, she was arrested and taken to jail, where she spent the next two nights.

Eventually, Ms. Burgess pleaded guilty to impaired driving, her second offense. She spent two more nights in jail, was assessed a fine of $1,600, sentenced to a total of 365 days in jail, and given 18 months probation. Her drivers license was revoked.

To avoid spending the next year as an inmate, she accepted an offer by the 92nd District Court to join the new Sobriety Court treatment program. With her arrest in Mackinac County, she was entered into the program, although her residence is in Emmet County.

Now, one year later, she has become the county's first Sobriety Court graduate.

"I didn't realize I was an alcoholic," she said.

Facing a year's sentence in jail was a clue she had a problem.

"Everyone has their own bottom," she said, "and I knew I didn't want to go any lower."

She made up her mind to complete the program.

"It was quite the experience," she said. "And I graduated in the minimum amount of time. I never had any violations and was able to graduate in 12 months."

The goal of the Sobriety Court is to help offenders achieve continued sobriety. For the county, the goal is to reduce repeat offenses and drug abuse. The program is available for repeat offenders arrested in Luce and Mackinac counties. Sobriety Court is a coordinated effort among substance abuse professionals, the court, and the alcoholic or addict. Designed to help those with addictions get better, the drug court offers a rehabilitation program that keeps habitual alcohol and drug offenders out of jail and at their jobs.

The court began introducing people to the program in January 2007.

"The program worked for me." said Ms. Burgess. "I can't guarantee it will work for everyone."

While some may think the program is an easy way to avoid jail time, said Ms. Burgess, they would be wrong.

Meeting the cost of the program, she said, was a challenge. Initial counseling charges average $200 a week. As she progressed through the counseling phases, the cost was reduced to $120 a week and finally to about $40 each week. She also had court fees and fines to pay as a result of her arrest. She had gas expenses and bridge fare to pay to attend her counseling sessions in Mackinac County, and since her drivers license was revoked, she had to find transportation.

"I had no idea how to pay for it," she said. "As my sobriety kicked in, God works in mysterious ways."

Her employers in Cross Village at Legs Inn restaurant, she said, were supportive. They went out of the way to work around her court schedule, her counseling sessions, and they gave her overtime hours whenever possible. The court also worked with her, offering her community service hours as a way to work off the court fines. She was working 40 hours a week and spending an additional 20 hours performing community service.

None of it was enough.

Her only option was to take out a mortgage on the home she already owned. She soon learned no financial institution was willing to offer her a mortgage based on the potential jail time she faced if she failed in the Sobriety Court. When she was about to give up, one of the few agencies left on her list approved the mortgage. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development gave her the mortgage and enough funds to pay the costs associated with the program.

Educated as a registered nurse, she left the profession a few years ago, citing job burn out. Now she enjoys restaurant work and has worked as a cook, waitress, and fills in wherever she is needed. She has a grown son, who moved home to help her during her Sobriety Court program.

She came from an alcoholic family, she said, and she married an alcoholic. When an accumulation of challenging events over a short period of time took their toll, she began to drink. Her entire life changed in months as she became an "empty nest" parent, she went into menopause, her mother became ill, and her husband died.

"It was just life," she said, looking back at what fueled her drinking problem. "I was never a drinker."

The program, counseling, and people involved helped change her life.

"It's a big lifestyle change," she said. "Just about everything has to change. Your friends and your habits."

The Sobriety Court forced her to face her addiction, she said, and put her on the right track. The individual and group counseling helped her identify things in her life she needed to understand and guided her through lifestyle changes. Her body gradually adjusted to not having alcohol. Family, new friends, her employer, and the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) community, she said, gave her the support she needed.

"I never would have gone to an AA meeting if I had not been in the Sobriety Court," she said."That works for me. Unless you're ready to quit drinking, you're not going to."

Attending the meetings let her know she was not alone, was not the only one sober.

"The AA family got me sober," she said, "and kept me so."

Editor's Note: Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are held regularly in several locations in Mackinac County. They are listed, space permitting, on the community calendar each week in The St. Ignace News. To be put in touch with a local coordinator for Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, call Zion Lutheran Church at 643-7870. others, said Mr. Freeman.

"Some of the thrill is the distance and part of it is just being on the open water for two or three days," said Mr. Freeman, "but, just as Greg Miarecki said, it's also about sailing with family and friends."

"It's going to be a very exciting time, certainly with it being a historic year for the race," said 33-term Mackinac Island Mayor Margaret Doud, who is also manager of Windermere Hotel, which hosts race committee members. "I think everyone is looking forward to a fun time."

One of her guests will be Kay Baxter, a member of the race committee for more than 25 years, who will be celebrating her 81st birthday.

Island Will be Where

'Yacht Is King,' Temporarily

With roughly 4,500 sailors and family members and 440 yachts coming to Mackinac Island, preparations among the Chicago Yacht Club, City of Mackinac Island, and local authorities have been underway for months.

Officers from the city, state, and county will be on hand, as well as additional emergency medical technicians, with marine support from Mackinac County Sheriff's Department and U.S. Coast Guard.

A committee of Mackinac Island city leaders met Wednesday, July 2, to review preparations for the race.

"I think we're OK, we should have plenty of help," said Island Police Chief Jim Marks, who has been working closely with club Vice Chairman Greg Freeman in accommodating all of the racers, their families, and other potential spectators.

The club will have teams on hand to assist Mackinac Island Marina staff with docking boats, and there will be a team set up at the Windermere Point headquarters, as well, said Race Coordinator Amanda Matta.

Some concerns the committee discussed were overall safety, overcrowding in bars and restaurants, and late night public behavior.

Last year, police did not find overcrowding in bars, which is considered a fire code violation.

The Island's corps of eight emergency medical technicians will have additional support from Allied EMS in St. Ignace, said EMT Rick Linn. Dr. Karen Miljour said she and her medical center staff of two nurses and a resident are ready for the race.