Two women who successfully completed the requirements of Kingfisher County Drug Court told their stories to members and guests of the Kingfisher Rotary Club last Tuesday.

Kingfisher County Associate District Judge Lance Schneiter arranged for Maria Smith and Laura Lee Ruhl to speak to the civic group.

Drug court offers drug offenders an option to stay out of prison by completing a court-supervised rehabilitation plan that can include inpatient or outpatient treatment, regular drug testing, community service and other requirements.

Smith and Ruhl both said the 18-month process they completed was not easy, but definitely worth the effort.

They said they had to say goodbye to friends and relationships of before, and create new ones.

“I did it for my kids,” Smith said.

Smith is a recent graduate of the program.

“I realized that I could spend the rest of my life in jail or prison if I kept my old lifestyle and it was worth it for me to completely change my life,” Smith said. “And if that meant that my old friends didn’t understand and called me ‘stuck up’ or whatever, that was part of the process.

“My kids deserved a better life and so did I.”

Ruhl, who said she has been sober since 2006, is a mentor within the program.

She was very direct and matter of fact in her presentation. She said recovery from addiction and living a clean life is about choices and decisions.

If addicts want to change their life, they must change their lifestyle and begin making choices and decisions that are not destructive, Ruhl added.

“For me it’s very simple. We make choices in life. For every choice there is a consequence. We all know what they are,” Ruhl said. “We can’t blame others for our decisions and actions. We have a choice. If we want to stay out of prison and not have a life full of problems, we must make the correct choices.”

Both Smith and Ruhl had spent time in jail and prison and they agreed that sober and productive life outside the prison system was preferable to the alternative.

Schneiter said the program generally takes 18 months to complete, but that time varies, depending on the participants and their requirements.

He said each Oklahoma county has its own program, but each must meet state minimum requirements to obtain funding.

He said John Rice is the director of the program and Mandy McDonald, Department of Corrections probation and parole officer, also works with drug court participants.

Individuals who have successfully completed the program have recently formed a drug court alumni group and will serve as leaders of a support group that is open to the public.

Also present at the Rotary program was Kingfisher County Assistant District Attorney John Salmon.