In a powerful conversation pulled straight from the streets of South Memphis, two men—once deeply entrenched in addiction—reflect on how drug court didn’t just save their lives… it gave them purpose.
Ben Owen and his colleague both faced serious time behind bars. Each had a rap sheet and a chance at redemption through drug court, an alternative sentencing program focused on treatment rather than punishment. But their paths into recovery weren’t the same.
“I was facing 4.3 years,” one man says. “Instead, I got drug court, went to college, earned my degrees in social work and nursing, and now I’m a practicing RN with full custody of my son.”
That transformation didn’t happen overnight. It took showing up, facing hard truths, and doing the inner work most people avoid. But he did it — and now he’s serving others.
Ben’s journey was messier.
“I got caught with a lot of drugs. Guns too. Drug court gave me a chance… and I blew it. I got kicked out and ended up completely homeless.”
Still, it planted a seed. When Ben finally hit his breaking point, the tools and relationships he’d formed through drug court helped him find recovery. He credits one friend — the same man who shared his testimony — with saving his life “several times over.”
This conversation reveals a deeper truth about addiction: it's not just about consequences. It's about connection.
“You can’t make anybody get clean,” Ben explains. “All you can do is keep a hand extended… and hope the addict reaches back.”
The blog’s core message is this: the war on drugs has failed. And the system can’t prosecute its way out of a public health crisis. Drug court offers something radically different — not just accountability, but healing.
“Treatment courts don’t erase the consequences. But they introduce recovery and give people the chance to change without a record following them for life.”
The results are staggering. Lives rebuilt. Families restored. Cycles broken.
For Owen Army, this is personal. These stories drive their mission to reclaim the most broken places in America — one person, one house, one block at a time.
“We’re not just flipping houses. We’re flipping entire lives.”
To watch the full conversation and hear more firsthand accounts of transformation through recovery, visit the Owen Army YouTube channel.
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YouTube Video: Former Addicts Transforming Their City Through Drug Court