NATCHEZ &045; Twenty-seven Adams County drug addicts didn’t get high Wednesday night.

They didn’t rob a house to get drug money, and they didn’t walk the streets looking for a deal.

Instead they gathered with family &045; related by blood or not &045; to celebrate a few birthdays and an anniversary.

&uot;A year ago today I nervously walked into an Adams County courtroom and I faced five who were addicted,&uot; Judge Lillie Blackmon Sanders said. &uot;And I wondered if drug court would really work.

&uot;I can stand here today and say, it works.&uot;

So Sanders, the drug court team, and most of the participants gathered at Pilgrim Baptist Church Wednesday night for a special family night.

The adult felony drug program that started with only five participants has grown to 27 and may soon become the model for aspiring courts around the country, Sanders said.

Though nothing is finalized, several courts have contacted her about viewing the Adams County proceedings as a model for their own courts.

Each participant works through a series of phases up to graduation. They appear before the judge once a week for a report on their behavior, their jobs, their family and their latest drug test results. A team including counselors, lawyers, screeners and clerks work with the participants 24/7 to help them through the process.

The original five participants are slated to graduate from the program in November.

Sanders said since the court’s inception, they’ve had two participants with zero infractions, no missed meetings and no failed drug tests. Fourteen participants have been 100 percent compliant and two have been 90 percent compliant.

Only eight participants have below 50 percent compliance.

As of Tuesday, no drug court participants have been involved in crimes or had trouble with the law.

&uot;The goal of the drug court is progress,&uot; Sanders said. &uot;This is a program that is therapeutic, supervised 24/7, in order that they can get themselves clean.&uot;

Court participants routinely attend family nights where they bring their small children, parents and friends for support. Many of the participants said they considered the whole group family.

One participant, who shared organizing duties for Wednesday event, said the group was family because they have a common goal.

&uot;A year ago this time, I was still using,&uot; he said. &uot;I’m finding new avenues now.

&uot;I probably wouldn’t have been locked up, but I probably would be dead. I truly believe I wouldn’t even be living today. I thank God that I am. Not only has the drug court given me my family back, but it’s given me a chance to live.&uot;