WAUKESHA - What almost killed them could save your child's life. What these once teenage addicts have to say is a warning for all parents.
We're talking about ordinary teens who grew up in good homes, but still got hooked.
Parents, think your 12-year-old is too young to do drugs? That's when these young people got addicted.
Here are the many faces of heroin.
Tyler admits, "It started with alcohol at 12years old." Then came marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs. When the pills got too expensive, Tyler switched to heroin. He's now 22. Tyler was addicted for 10 years and admits, "I lived to use and used to live."
Ryan is 24. The alcohol started in 8th grade, "then cocaine, ecstasy, mushrooms. Had I gotten offered heroin, more than likely, I would have done it," Ryan told us. He was addicted for nine years. "I didn't actually think I had a problem. I thought that everyone else around me was the problem not the drugs."
It's been more than a year since Ryan used.
Richard is now a junior in high school. "I started when I was just 12 or 13," he said. "I smoked pot in the bathroom at school almost every day." His warning for anyone with kids? "Parents can't imagine. They can't even imagine their 12 year old son using drugs." Richard started with marijuana. "It started getting into darker days. I never did heroin, but I did synthetic heroin."
He was hooked on OxyContin. "Everyone in my family knew I was using. It just tore my family apart." Richard's been off drugs almost 18 months.
Now these three rely on each other to help them stay clean. They also talk to kids. Telling their stories to stop other junior high students from going down the same path. "It's kids talking to kids. It's youth talking to youth," Tyler explained.
All part of the "Your Choice" program. Former addicts lay it on the line for kids. One message, how their lives could have been. "(I) wanted to go to college, maybe stick with football, but as soon as I started using everything just went out the drain," Richard said.
Some of the speakers in the program ended up cuffed and under arrest. But even doing time wasn't always enough to help them kick the habit. "It's like who cares if I go back to jail. I just want to get high," Ryan told us.
Tyler eventually hit rock bottom. "I ended up going down to Milwaukee and living in a drug house." An ultimatum from his family helped Tyler turn the corner. "I love my family, and to me that was either I get help or I die. So I got help."
All three will tell you living life clean is easier. Now, it's about making amends and moving forward.
"Your Choice" also hosts events for parents. Former addicts talk about the signs of drug use and give parents tips on how to talk to their kids.
For more information on the program go to http://www.yourchoice-live.org/home
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