Drug court graduation marks milestone as Fowler makes break from addiction
For nearly two years, Dwaine Fowler has shown up before sunrise at the Oglethorpe County Public Works yard. He’s clocked in, grabbed tools and headed out with the road crew.
He’s displayed that level of dedication to another area of his life.
Fowler graduated from drug court earlier this month after kicking his meth addiction and spending 20 months in the program. He said the courtroom ceremony on Dec. 11 represented a turning point he once believed he would never reach.
“I’ve been doing drugs a long time,” Fowler said. “Prison wasn’t going to help me. I told them I wanted help, not something that was going to hinder me more.”
His path to the program was complicated. After leaving a treatment facility in Bainbridge, Georgia, convinced the program was not right for him, he returned to the county jail and waited as his mother, sister and attorney pushed for drug court instead of another prison sentence.
When the team interviewed him, Fowler made one request: a chance.
“They came and talked to me, and I just told them what I’d been through,” he said. “Life looks so much better now. It ain’t been an easy road, but it’s helped me a lot.”
As Fowler worked through the early phases of drug court, an unexpected opportunity opened.
Adam Nation, Oglethorpe County’s public works director and a longtime acquaintance, heard Fowler needed steady work and structure. A mutual friend reached out, and Nation agreed to consider him for an opening if the county’s HR review cleared him.
“I knew it was a risk,” Nation said. “I’ve seen addiction before, and sometimes it’s controllable, sometimes it’s not. But from day one, he was a hard worker. He was dependable. I could count on him.”
Fowler started at the bottom of the road department, patching potholes, mowing roadsides and handling signs. Within weeks, Nation said it was clear he could trust him with equipment and responsibility.
This fall, when a mechanic at the county shop was preparing to retire, Nation saw an opportunity.
Not only did Fowler have a background in mechanics, but so did his father. Nation promoted him to the county’s top heavy equipment technician.
“He went from starting at the bottom to working his way up in the shop pretty quick,” Nation said.
The changes in Fowler’s work life have been matched by changes at home. He said his family had reason to doubt him for years, but steady routine, accountability and sobriety have helped rebuild trust.
“If you can’t trust somebody, you ain’t going to let them work for you,” he said. “My family didn’t trust me, either. But now I’ve got my whole family on my team. They know I struggle, but I’ve got people I can call. I’ve got support.”
His mother, who is undergoing chemotherapy, now hears regular updates from Nation, who stops by the county’s senior center to tell her how her son is doing.
“She has a glow in her eye that is indescribable,” Nation said. “It’s good to see his family back around him. They’re accepting him and supporting him.”
Nation said he has also seen Fowler work through the emotional strain of rebuilding a life after addiction.
“When you’re trying to find normal, you don’t always know what normal is,” he said. “There are times when he gets overwhelmed, and we talk through it. He’ll come back the next day and apologize. That’s part of recovery, and he’s come a long way.”
For Fowler, graduating from drug court was more than completion of a program. It’s an affirmation of the future he once doubted he could reach.
“My mom said she never thought she’d see the day I was sober,” he said. “Here it is, 26 months. She’s never seen that before.”
He plans to continue attending meetings and hopes his story can help someone else who feels stuck in the same cycle.
“I hope I can be an inspiration for someone else,” he said. “I want to tell my story and change someone else’s life for the better.”
With graduation behind him, Fowler said he keeps returning to a prayer he wrote for his class, a reminder of what the group survived and what they carry forward.
“Graduation isn’t the end but a new beginning,” he said, reading from the prayer. “I pray for continued strength, wisdom to make good choices and purpose to use our experiences to help others. I ask for peace, supportive relationships and protection as we move into what’s next. In your holy name, Amen.”