WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Addiction recovery is hard for many people who struggle with substance abuse. It can be even more difficult for jail inmates, cut off from help. That’s why a new program is working to change that.

Brunswick County Commissioners approved $256,065. in opioid settlement funds for the ARROW program.

As communities use opioid settlement funds to combat substance use on the streets, Brunswick County is looking to make a difference for people behind bars.

“I wasn’t able to help the individuals that were expressing interest that said, I have a substance use problem, but I’m in the detention center right now. I need help,” said Acacia Alston, the director of the county’s new ARROW program.

She says people with substance use issues often end up in jail because of those problems, and it can become an endless cycle.

“These are people that have a disease and that ultimately it leads to them making horrible decisions and committing crimes and becoming, you know, getting right back into the detention center,” said Alston.

However, the ARROW program will utilize Coastal Horizons in Shallotte to provide counseling and a recovery plan, something Brunswick County Sheriff Brian Chism believes will make a difference.

“The big thing for us is giving them the tools that they need to be productive members of the community because they didn’t have it before,” said Sheriff Chism.

The program is intended to not only help with substance abuse but also break the vicious cycle.

“So that’s the goal of ARROW program is to reduce recidivism so we can get the people in here and get them the services they need, then they’re not going to come back,” said Alston.

It’s a program to help inmates lead lives that are straight as an arrow.

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