People recovering from addiction need help now more than ever, attorney Jamie White says

LANSING, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES, May 19, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- For people struggling to overcome alcohol or drug addiction, “Isolation is Kryptonite,” said Jerre Cory, Executive Director of the Ingham County Treatment Courts Foundation. So the coronavirus quarantine is making the lives of people struggling to overcome addiction even tougher.

The Foundation helps people in recovery stay on track by offering cash stipends for basic necessities -- which may be anything from money to cover an unplanned expense like a parking ticket, help paying a phone bill that makes telephone probation visits possible, or helping with transportation costs to mandatory drug testing that proves they are staying clean and sober. But with the job losses sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, many in treatment are facing extraordinary hardships that put their successful completion of recovery programs in serious jeopardy.

To help ease the added burdens the pandemic has caused for this vulnerable community, attorney Jamie White of White Law PLLC, who has worked with clients in treatment court proceedings, has given the foundation a $5,000 donation.

"I’m a child of the 80s, raised in a poor community, and I saw the effect the war on drugs had on my neighbors, friends, and family," White said. "The opioid crisis forced us to take a second look at how we approach addictions. What we’ve seen is a transformative movement -- instead of treating addicted members of society like the enemy, we’re treating addiction like the heath crisis that it is, and the treatment courts are an important part of these changes."

White explained that growing up in one of the poorest communities in southern Michigan, "The vast majority of my community did not go untouched by addictions or being victims of crime. A significant majority of the men I grew up with have been to prison or are dead."

White's early experiences as a criminal defense attorney shaped his perspective on addiction. "As a professional, I was able to have a different point of view. The vast majority of defendants I worked with were addicted or suffering from mental health issues, and the two were intertwined. But if people were provided an opportunity for treatment, rehabilitation was possible."

Yet White also saw how challenging recovery could be, and how something as seemingly small as not having the money to fix a flat tire, or the bus fare to attend counseling, could send recovery efforts off track. "Theres’ a lack of practical awareness of the little things that can derail people," he said. "Helping everyone financially is something that can’t be done by the courts. But the Foundation has identified this as a need, and that's making a huge difference in people's success rates."

“We so appreciate Jamie White's most generous donation.” Cory said. “During these times especially, it means a lot and will go a long way to helping our local court participants in their battle for sobriety.”

Last month, White also donated $10,000 to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing to purchase meals for first responders, to coincide with Sparrow's "Hospital Week." White's May donation to the Ingham County Treatment Courts Foundation coincides with National Mental Health Month.

“With substance abuse at epidemic proportions, it’s imperative that we have a resource for those who are working toward sobriety,” Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth said in a letter endorsing the Foundation. ”The Ingham County Treatment Courts Foundation provides support to people struggling with financial obstacles that impede their treatment. The Foundation is also responsible for saving over a million dollar of jail bed space -- that’s significant.”

“This is not your run-of-the-mill court program… they took a personal look into me as an individual and saw all the things that I could be, buried underneath this thing called addiction,” said Trina Day, a former participant who now has two years sobriety and currently serves as a Peer Recovery Coach. “I now get to sit in on the pre-court treatment team meetings, beside the Judge that I once had to stand before, next to the probation officer I once had to answer to, and next to the therapist that once helped me navigate my recovery. I am now seen as a colleague and someone who can inspire change."

L. J. Williamson
Newsroom PR
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