CASSOPOLIS — Jaclyn Blatson, 29, of Dowagiac, was sentenced last October to seven months in jail for her Feb. 22, 2012, offense in Jones of operating and maintaining a methamphetamine lab and possessing meth and Vicodin.

 

“The hardest thing for me,” Tuesday’s treatment graduate said, “was loss of control and to realize I couldn’t manage my life on my own.”

 

 “It really was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Michael McClain said, though being clean “is awesome. I’ve never felt better. We’ve been through a lot and we’ve got our kids back, which was our ultimate goal.”

 

Jaclyn has a 10-year-old son from a previous relationship, and the two have a 2-year-old daughter together. They met in 2009.

 

“Older influences got me into drugs at a young age,” he said. “I tried it once and never quit. I actually started with pot and have been addicted to everything — cocaine, heroin. She got in trouble. We were split up at the time. I brought myself into it to support her and because I’m a drug addict. I didn’t have to be here at all, but I brought myself to this program while she was still in jail.”

 

“It was really hard for me to accept that I was a drug addict,” McClain said, “but I needed serious help. It’s definitely a journey. There were times I didn’t think I was strong enough to do it, but I just used FTC (Cass County Family Treatment Court) and tried my best to stay connected with supports they have.”

 

Blatson graduated from Family Treatment Court, but starts another program Friday in Adult Treatment Court.

 

“She’s the first to do both,” he said proudly.

 

“It will always be on my record,” she said. “I’ll be on probation until 2015.”

 

This fall she will be attending Southwestern Michigan College to study social work, inspired by “the amazing stuff that goes on around me.”

 

McClain May 4 marked his first anniversary working at at Faith Plastics in Marcellus.

 

She’s been clean 454 days to his 451 days.