ADDICT LOST EVERYTHING, FINALLY FOUND INSIGHT

Former Drug User Now Counsels Others

At his lowest point, Dan Greene almost lost it all, including his
ability to think clearly.

In his 2-year battle with meth, Greene, 32, of Battle Creek watched
helplessly as the relationships and achievements he had nurtured fell
by the wayside as he nursed his demanding addiction to the drug, also
known as crystal meth and speed.

"When I got introduced to crystal meth is when things really turned
180 degrees," he said.

"Speed is a stimulant that can keep you up for days on end, and you
feel like you don't need much sleep. But what eventually happens is,
when you become addicted, is you need it just to get out of bed. You
need it just to perform daily tasks ... if the house caught on fire,
you don't want to get out of bed."

Still, the dreadful aftermath he experienced wasn't as horrifying as
those he has witnessed. Meth addicts develop behavior and thinking
patterns akin to people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders. Some
become paranoid or delusional, often picking at their skin because
they're convinced bugs are crawling beneath it, Greene said.

According to the Oakland County Health Division's Office of Substance
Abuse Services, meth is extremely addictive, with a 98% likelihood
that people who try it will become hooked.

Its abuse is more prevalent on the west side of Michigan.

"We're being told again and again and again by the people on the west
side of the state that it's coming our way," said Kathleen Altman,
the program's prevention coordinator.

Greene is a former high school athlete who graduated from Ohio's Kent
State University. A few years ago, he was a newly minted mortgage
officer in Las Vegas deep in a depressing state of sniffing and smoking meth.

"My life is going downhill. I don't have a girlfriend. I lost my best
friend," he said, thinking back on that time. And then he lost his job.

"See, with meth, man, you have these severe mood swings. You just
snap on people."

With the help of his older brother, Greene eventually landed at
Narconon Stone Hawk in Battle Creek, where holistic approaches to
treatment like vitamin use, along with counseling, led him to beat
the habit. For the past 2 1/2 years, he has helped heal addicts as a
counselor at the center.

"I believe everyone has a purpose in this life, and I believe this is
my purpose, to help people," he said. "I have a full understanding of
what the person is going through."

Like others, Greene was introduced to meth after climbing from
so-called gateway drugs like marijuana to heavier narcotics like cocaine.

In high school in Warren, Ohio, he smoked pot.

While attending Kent State, he dabbled with mushrooms, cocaine and
acid and then became a drug dealer. He even dropped out of school,
hustling full-time.

Following a couple run-ins with the law as a teen and then as an
adult, he and a friend moved to Las Vegas. Greene, who pumped iron to
gain a buff physique, worked as a club promoter. He then started
selling ecstasy, coke, pot and even steroids, he said.

Then he encountered meth on the Las Vegas club scene.

When he was in control, he became a certified mortgage officer and
worked steadily. When he wasn't, he ignored his responsibilities, was
kicked out of his place by his best friend, lost his girlfriend and
his job, and did not take care of himself.

And he started hallucinating.

"I saw faces in my wall. I thought there was evil spirits, so I would
always light candles. I was whacked," he said. "When the phone rings,
it scares you because you don't want to confront life."

His appearance changed dramatically, too.

"This is a guy who used to do body building. Now I'm a skinny little
rat. ... I let it all go, and now I'm hanging out with lowlifes," he said.

Today, Greene is healthy, responsible and clean.

After graduating from Narconon, he became a certified chemical
dependency counselor.

"Can you imagine? All that I've been through, now I work here. My
life's in order now."