PERSONAL STORIES

First person stories and personal accounts from people who have been touched by substance abuse.

• ERICA
  Erica spent much of her teen years hooked on heroin and prescription pills. Read about her addiction and how her mom intervened to get her clean.



• JOSH
  At 14, Josh started using heroin and prescription drugs. Read about his addiction, his incarceration, and how his dad never gave up on him.



• RANYA
  Ranya stepped in to help a friend who was becoming involved with drugs and alcohol.



• BRAD
  Brad’s early experimentation with marijuana developed into a serious drug addiction in high school. Read about his experiences as a teen addict.



• MITCH
  As a high school coach, Mitch shares his experiences with stepping in to stop his athletes from abusing drugs.



• HOPE
  Hope is the mother of two recovering teenage drug addicts. Read about the shock, denial and fear she experienced while helping her children fight addiction.



• GREG SCHWAB
  This aspiring NFL player - turned high school associate principal and coach talks about athletes' pressures to compete, which causes some of them to abuse anabolic steroids.



• EAMES YATES
  An interview with the director behind the HBO documentary "Crank: Made In America".



• TAMAR SHEFFEY
  An expert emphasizes the important role that parents play in preventing adolescent marijuana use.



• LAUREN
  With friends and an older brother heavily involved with drugs, Lauren's own marijuana experimentation escalated to daily use and other drugs.



• DR. ALAN BUDNEY
  Read what one expert has to say about marijuana's addictive nature and its accompanying withdrawal syndrome.



• DR. KAREN MIOTTO
  From detoxification to methadone maintenance - an expert speaks about different treatments for heroin addiction.



• BILL
  From club drugs to methamphetamines, Bill's struggle with drugs all started with marijuana.



• MIKE CRUTCHER
  A police sergeant gives an inside perspective to the harmful, and sometimes tragic, effects of marijuana use on youth.



• CHERYL
  A mother recounts her son's years of drug abuse and undiagnosed schizophrenia.



• MATT
  As a teen, Matt struggled to recover from a dual diagnosis of bipolar disorder and drug addiction.



• RACHEL
  After being kicked out of a prestigious boarding school for drugs, Rachel's out-of-control spin came to an abrupt end after being arrested and forced into drug treatment.



• KATI
  Kati's path of self-destructive behavior, which started with an addiction to Ecstasy, left her with no other choice but to get clean.



• JOE RYAN
  An undercover narcotics detective takes you inside Miami's raves and into the world of club drugs.
  
  
• TINKER COOPER
  A powerful interview with a mother whose son became addicted to Ecstasy and died of a drug overdose.
  
  
• DR. RICHARD HEISS
  Read a father's tragic story about his son's death from inhalants.
  
  
• HARVEY WEISS
  Hear from an expert about the dangers of huffing and warning signs of abuse.



• TOM O'BRIEN
  An insider's look into the world of the Hardcore Gang Division at the LA County District Attorney's office.


• JO PAYNE
  An emotional story about a woman who lost her daughter to drug abuse and now must raise her grandchild.