Two years ago, the members of Carbon County Drug Treatment Court’s first graduating class were facing time in jail for drug and alcohol arrests.

But the program, which was brand-new at the time, gave them an alternative to incarceration - by getting treatment, maintaining sobriety, and attempting to break the cycle of addiction that led them to the court in the first place.

“You’ve proven to everybody out there that it is a possibility, it is a reality and it is a new life for you,” said Richmond Parsons, Carbon County’s chief probation officer.

On Wednesday, the drug treatment court held its first graduation ceremony. Five participants were honored for completing a minimum of 18 months in the program.

Over that time, the participants took part in drug treatment, did community service, attended mandatory recovery meetings and were under more intense monitoring than regular probation.

They followed a nightly curfew, had urine screenings twice a week, and met with a judge weekly.

While some of the graduates dealt with setbacks along the way, they maintained a combined 3,807 days of sobriety - a combined 10 years.

“I tell them when I admit them, it’s a very intense program. You can’t expect to get in here and slide through it. It’s not gonna happen,” said Judge Joseph J. Matika.

The graduates said the program demanded a lot of them.

When Ashley Baldini learned about the drug treatment court program, she was ready to make a change in her life. The program required her to be accountable and motivated her to act differently.

“It was the kick in the butt that I needed, and something that I wanted for a while,” she said.

Amanda Grimm said that at one point, she thought she would prefer to return to jail than stick with it. She later realized that the drug treatment court was her best choice for recovery.

“I don’t think recovery is possible without a program or support system, and how are you going to get that in jail?” she said.

Matika said he was interested in the possibilities of a drug treatment court even before he became a judge in 2012. Spending 18 years as a prosecutor, he saw people who repeatedly cycled through the criminal justice system as their addiction worsened. Drug treatment court attempts to stop that cycle and keep them out of jail permanently.

“If you treat the offender, there is no need to worry about putting them in prison or worry about punishment, because they get the help they need,” he said.

Not every person facing drug charges can enroll in the program. The District Attorney’s office has a say in who is eligible for the program, based on the applicant’s criminal record. And an applicant’s court-ordered drug and alcohol screening must show that they have an actual addiction problem.

Matika said he hopes that Wednesday’s ceremony will be the first of many graduations for the program. Some current participants in the program attended the ceremony to hear from those who successfully completed it.

The speakers at the program also included Lehighton native Brandon Williams, a drug counselor. Williams was a star athlete when he attempted suicide due to his issues with addiction. It left him without the use of his arm permanently. He continued to use drugs but the incident helped him to ultimately decide to change his life.

“If I wouldn’t have hit that rock bottom, who knows what my life would have been like,” he said.

Carbon County Commissioner Rocky Ahner spoke highly of the program, and the importance of recovery from his experience with his own son. He read a text message that his son sent him, directed to the graduates.

“The secret is to find the support of those who want to see you succeed. The system isn’t in place to punish you, it’s in place to help guide you on the path to make decisions on your own,” Ahner said.