April 29, 2026
6 steps (and resources) for getting the treatment you deserve sooner rather than later.
Started in February 1993 at the height of the crack-cocaine epidemic, Mobile Adult Drug Court (MADC) was created to give first-time offenders a real second chance—access to treatment and the possibility of having a felony charge dismissed so they can rebuild their lives drug-free and without a record. Since then, MADC has helped more than 3,200 people move from addiction and court involvement toward healthy, productive lives. The team brings the court, counselors, case managers, drug-testing lab, and community partners together so participants can stabilize, get treatment, and keep going—with practical help for housing, transportation, inpatient care when needed, and a growing family and alumni support network.
MADC is a court-supervised, multi-phase recovery program focused on treatment and stability. The project expands access to counseling (adding two counselors), creates a weekly Family Group Night, launches an Alumni Group, provides residential treatment for high-risk/high-need participants, covers frequent drug testing, and removes barriers with bus passes and temporary housing. The goal is simple and human: reduce substance use, strengthen recovery, and lower re-arrest – so participants can graduate and rebuild their lives.
Adults in the Mobile justice system living with substance use disorder across Mobile County. Many face big barriers (low income, limited education, homelessness); by December 2025, MADC anticipates ~200 active participants.
From Homeless to Housed
A young man entered the program homeless, unemployed, without transportation, and battling a severe addiction to illegal substances. Through the program and the resources made available by grant funding, he has completely turned his life around. He now lives in a sober living home (Oxford House), utilizes a bus pass for transportation, maintains steady employment, and—most importantly—is drug-free.
Breaking the Cycle
A young woman battling a severe addiction to Fentanyl was living in a toxic environment when she was referred to Drug Court due to a probation violation. After struggling with numerous relapses, she finally followed her counselor’s suggestion to move into a sober living home (Oxford House). She had never previously held a job, paid bills, or managed major responsibilities. Once removed from the dangerous living environment, she gained employment and took charge of her life. After two years, she successfully completed the program and is now living a drug-free life.
A Journey to Higher Education
There was a young woman addicted to crack cocaine who entered Drug Court. She was not willing to stop using nor did she want to change (she even went AWOL from the program). After finally making a decision to try recovery, she completed Drug Court. Upon successful completion of the program, she decided to return to school and further her education. She had an Associate degree. Changing her negative thinking into a positive way of thinking, she went on to obtain a second Associate degree, a Bachelor’s degree, and a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, and she completed all coursework in the Master of Public Administration program, all from the University of South Alabama. She later enrolled at Walden University, where she earned a Master’s degree in Philosophy and completed all coursework for her Ph.D. in Human Services. Today, this young woman has 27 years in recovery.
6 steps (and resources) for getting the treatment you deserve sooner rather than later.
Ten Things to Know About Opioids that might save your life, or the life of someone you love.
While it may seem new, incorporating mindfulness and yoga practices into recovery has been on the rise since these ancient practices were brought to the West from India during ‘60s and ‘70s. Even the 12-step, faith-based program Alcoholics Anonymous began including spiritual reflection and contemplative practices in recovery around that time. Cut to the present day, and you’ll find a range of faith- and nondenominational-based addiction treatment and services available to individuals seeking recovery, including those that incorporate holistic care such as yoga and meditation. Additionally, there is compelling evidence to support that mind-body interventions like yoga and meditation can be powerful complements to conventional care for various substance use disorders, including opioid misuse.
According to a clinical trial published in January of this year on the National Institute of Health’s National Library of Medicine’s PubMed site, a treatment center in Bengaluru, India, found that people withdrawing from opioids recovered from acute symptoms nearly twice as fast when traditional medication was paired with structured yoga practice. Participants practicing yoga on top of standard treatment with buprenorphine (a medication used to treat opioid use disorder and pain) stabilized within five days, compared with nine days among those receiving medication alone. The yoga group also reported markedly reduced anxiety, improved sleep quality, and better autonomic regulation (a physiological marker of stress resilience).
The Journal of the American Medical Association notes that opioid use disorder is not simply a matter of physical dependence; rather, it’s a multi-system dysregulation affecting brain reward pathways, stress systems, emotional processing and behavioral habits. Standard care often combines medication-assisted treatment with counseling and support groups, an approach that has saved countless lives. But relapse rates and treatment drop-outs remain high, leaving clinicians searching for additional tools to improve long-term success. This is where yoga and meditation enter, not as alternative treatments that replace evidence-based care, but as complements to reinforce physiological balance and emotional resilience.
Yoga engages breathing, posture and awareness, elements that tap into the autonomic nervous system, which governs stress responses. The Bengaluru trial’s findings that yoga enhanced heart-rate variability (a measure of parasympathetic “rest and digest” activity) suggest that these practices may ease the intensity of withdrawal and emotional agitation. Beyond withdrawal, research suggests that yoga and similar mind-body practices can improve outcomes across substance use disorders.
A systematic review published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine found that among randomized controlled trials (some involving opioid users) yoga was associated with improvements in anxiety, pain and craving when used alongside traditional therapies.
Meditation practices, whether focused attention, breath awareness or guided imagery, are increasingly studied as tools to rewire reward circuitry disrupted by addiction. These practices bolster emotional regulation and reduce stress sensitivity, which are factors that often trigger relapse long after detoxification ends. Studies show that people receiving group mindfulness sessions (including remote or virtual varieties) alongside medication treatment reported significantly lower opioid craving compared with those receiving only standard care.
For people emerging from the acute phase of opioid withdrawal, long-term recovery hinges not just on avoiding substances but on rebuilding life with purpose, resilience and balance. Yoga and meditation do not replace medication-assisted therapies, counseling or peer support, but evidence increasingly suggests they can enhance those pillars by addressing underlying physiological stress responses and emotional triggers. As research continues to grow, clinics, therapists and recovery communities alike are watching closely: bridging neuroscience with ancient practices may offer a new frontier in healing from one of the most challenging public health crises of our time.
In Mobile County, Alabama, there is a broad range of treatment options, many of which are listed on the Project Persevere website’s Treatment Programs page. Below, find the list of a few that incorporate holistic practices with traditional therapies. Remember, recovery is not one-size-fits-all, and not every center explicitly lists yoga or meditation on its roster of services. Still, many coordinate with community partners or wellness professionals to help clients explore these practices as part of holistic aftercare or ongoing relapse prevention.
Discover how Project Persevere’s initiatives are creating real impact across treatment, prevention, recovery, and community support. Explore our programs below to see how each one contributes to lasting change in the fight against opioid addiction.
Team Wellborn Strategies + CiviConnections develops and executes a multi-platform communications and paid media campaign that reduces stigma, raises awareness of treatment options, and strives to prevent new cases of opioid use disorder. The program includes polling and audience research, creative production, strategic media placement across digital and traditional channels, public relations, grantee coordination, and real-time campaign optimization.
Waterfront Rescue Mission’s Recovery Readiness, the first of three phases in its LifeBuilder Recovery Program, addresses opioid issues in Mobile through a holistic, faith-based approach. By addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of addiction, they help individuals build a strong foundation for long-term recovery and sustainable life change.