ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
In October, the City of Liberal’s Treatment Court program hosted its latest graduation, and this is the first in which two individuals marked their finishing of the course.
For both Wyatt Hough and Lucas Munson, their paths to addiction were similar, and Hough’s began a little more than a decade ago.
“I started out with weed, graduated towards meth,” he said. “About 2016, I got in trouble with possession of methamphetamine, was on corrections.”
Before starting Treatment Court, Hough had attempted to get clean with a program in Dodge City, but after a year and a half, he started relapsing.
“I moved back to Liberal after about four years, ended up getting caught up again two years ago with another possession charge, and I completed corrections about two months ago,” he said.
Hough praised the work of Treatment Court officials for his accomplishment.
“I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for this program,” he said. “I wouldn’t have my own place. I wouldn’t have my own truck. I wouldn’t be where I’m at today, and I’m extremely thankful for this program.”
All Treatment Court graduates are asked who they would like to speak at their graduation, and Hough chose Southwest Guidance Center Peer Support Specialist Ashlee O’Dell, who also teaches the Treatment Court’s relapse prevention class.
O’Dell said her time with Hough got off to a bit of a rocky start.
“I met Wyatt in 2019,” she said. “He was this skinny awkward little white kid rocking back and forth in the corner of his own apartment.”
O’Dell, though, said she met with Hough again earlier this year, and though some things stayed the same, still others had changed.
“He’s still a skinny little white kid, but he is now full of life, smiling at the time his very big and infectious smile,” she said. “He seemed excited about life as he was talking a million miles an hour.”
This change is something O’Dell said was definitely a surprise.
“I thought to myself ‘That is definitely not the quiet kid from the shadows,’” she said. “I was also thinking ‘Why isn’t this dude talking to me?’ Come to find out, he didn’t recognize me either.”
This reunion has allowed O’Dell to get to know Hough as a person.
“I have watched his progress and have had the pleasure of celebrating his accomplishments right alongside him,” she said. “He has reached every goal set before him by the court, and he has also reached many of his own personal goals. He has learned to become a better friend and son. He has mended relationships and made peace with the ones he could not. He has shown up for himself, for others and for his precious dog.”
Through his time in Treatment Court, O’Dell said Hough has learned how to be a leader, how to be accountable to himself and others and how to admit when he is wrong.
“All of these show he is not just abstaining from drugs and alcohol, but he is in recovery,” she said. “As we all know, recovery is a lifelong process. My hope for Wyatt going forward is he would continued to do the things that are working for him now, he would continue cultivating a strong support system and lean on them when life gets hard. My hope for is that you will maintain the healthy relationships you’ve built and you have the courage to say ‘no’ to anything and anyone that does not serve you well.”
O’Dell said Treatment Court has given Hough a full bag of tools, and she expects him to use those to build the life of his dreams.
Hough and Munson share another connection as the two shared time in jail during their addictions.
“It’s safe to say during that time, we both decided our former lifestyles are for the birds,” Munson said. “It was time to make a change. We were released within a week of each other, and we started this program at the same time. Since then, he’s become one of my best friends in the entire world.”
Like Hough, Munson’s addiction struggles were long-term, and he said his journey was not easy by any means.
“Nearly 20 years of toxic thought processes and addictions are not simple to untangle,” Munson said.
Despite finishing Treatment Court, Munson said he still struggles, but now, he has the tools and confidence to not give and fall back into the self-destructive lifestyle he led for many years.
“I know nothing worth doing is easy, especially when it comes to how you live your life,” he said. “This program’s made me more honest, reliable, considerate, helpful about my situation in the future. I used to think there was no hope for me, and my problems and issues were tragically unique.”
When he first began his rehabilitation, Munson said he had some doubts about how well treatment would work, but he said he has never been happier to be proven wrong.
“My time in Dodge City was a real turning point for me,” he said. “I learned I was sick, and like everyone else I was there with, I could recover. It was like dropping a 500-pound weight off my back I’d been carrying for almost two decades. With that new outlook, I came back, and I surrendered myself to this program because I didn’t have anything to lose, and I had nothing but good things to gain.”
Munson said Treatment Court has given him many things he did not have before beginning the program.
“I’ve got a strong and healthy connection with my community, and I’m surrounded by supportive and positive people who lift me up instead of dragging me down,” he said. “I’ve had my own apartment for over a year, and my bills are always paid on time. I’m almost two years clean.”
Munson shared a quote from fellow Treatment Court graduate Josh Melton, who finished his program earlier this year.
“You get out of this what you put into it,” he said. “Thanks to this program, a little faith, good people to lean on and a lot of persistence, I finally found myself again, and I plan on sticking around this time.”
Munson chose Treatment Court Probation Officer Michelle Contreras to speak, and she said unlike Munson, when the program began, she could see the big picture.
Contreras said a fellow rehabilitation specialist had told her Munson was a natural born leader, and this surprised her. However, she would soon discover this gift.
“For a second, I wondered if we were talking about the same Lucas,” she said. “We all jumped in the patrol car, and after getting on the road, we asked you a simple question. What kind of music do you like Luke? That was my a-ha moment. You began talking to us about your knowledge, your college background in music, and that conversation led to you talking about your favorite authors and your experience in inpatient treatment and how you would love to help others who are trying to beat addiction. There he was, the natural born leader.”
Contreras said for those entering Treatment Court for the first time or have never been through the program, there are some misconceptions.
“Participants are having to be open and honest in sharing information with us throughout their addiction,” she said. “They have labeled us as the bad guys. For those who have completed the recommended therapy, you know that is not the case. You have labeled people because that’s what you’ve been taught to do and because these bad guys don’t agree with you or cater to your needs. This is all your inner beliefs. It’s not who you really are.”
Eventually, Contreras said she saw a change in Munson.
“He stopped questioning and stopped arguing and realized it was all about accountability,” she said.
Like all Treatment Court officials, Contreras praised the work Munson put in to become clean.
“There will never be enough words in this speech to express how proud I am of you,” she said. “I appreciate you trusting me and sharing your life updates with me and for putting in the work that has gotten you to this point.”
Contreras said Munson finally saw the bigger picture, and when he did, he worked great.
“When you feel stuck or doubting yourself, always remember this moment,” she said. “I hope this accomplishment reminds you every day of your capability and purpose in this world. Don’t stop sharing your greatness and your wise words.”
Contreras finished her speech with a comment which displayed the leadership gifts she said Munson had.
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give,” she said.
Treatment Court Coordinator Kim Clinkingbeard finished the graduation with some advice for Munson.
“Be proud of everything you’ve accomplished, and don’t settle for anything less than you deserve,” she said. “Keep doing what you’re doing to bring yourself to the point you are at now, and continue to set goals and reach them. Don’t let Treatment Court graduation be your last accomplishment. Push yourself to achieve more.”
