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Alex Cabrero ReportingCollege graduations are done and high schools are coming up, but there's one graduation that happened today that might be just as important.
Michael Grantham never expected to be here, graduating at only 16-years old. He wishes he never had to.
Michael Grantham, Drug Court Graduate: "It's a tough, long, hard process. But in due time, it all pays off, like today."
Grantham isn't getting a diploma from high school, his award is from Utah's drug court.
Michael Grantham: "I think I had to separate myself from negative influences in my life and just stay with those who support me, like my mom and other people in my family."
It's been 16 months learning how to beat alcohol and drug addiction. His mother wondered if he'd ever do it.
Misti Allred, Michael's Mother: "It's amazing how rampant marijuana and things of that nature are available, even in our junior high schools."
Allred says it's even more amazing how much her son has changed.
Misti Allred: "He's went from an absolute, completely combative person into somebody that's easier to live with, easier to talk to and everything else."
Grantham was among several people who graduated this afternoon. A teacher explains how it all works.
Don Leither, Drug Court Coordinator: "It's very, very supportive. High accountability, intense treatment, all of those things bringing it together."
For Grantham, it all means another shot.
Michael Grantham: "To better myself, I plan to go somewhere in life. I plan to go to college somewhere. I mean, it's for the future."
All it takes is a first step. The drug court has graduated 550 people in the past 10 years. Of those, less than 25-percent have returned to the court system for a drug or alcohol offense.
