She eventually pulled him out of his high school, placing him in a Catholic school in his junior and senior year. But as soon as he entered college, he was on academic probation.

"He was continuing to play with drugs in high school. But as soon as he started with Oxycontin in college he played with something he wasn't going to get out of," said Lynn. According to Daniel, at the peak of his use he was taking 14 Oxycontin a day -- a $300 dollar a day habit.


Soon the rest of his family became aware of his addiction. He began stealing and selling metal to keep buying drugs. After confronting him, they checked him into his first rehab center.

"I had no intention of getting better. I manipulated and convinced them to take me home after 14 days, saying I was cured," said Daniel. After checking in and out of three different rehab centers, he turned to heroin and quickly went into a downward spiral that ended with his nine-day stay at a psych ward.

Lynn Regan feels these rehab centers are failing to deliver a message that resonates properly with younger addicts.

"It's a money machine. Parents are bound by insurance companies/HIPAA Regulations and have no rights to information. Rehab is becoming an educational school for how to use drugs in different ways. Most importantly, there isn't enough individual, one-on-one treatment or after-care treatment," she said.

On the fourth try, Daniel's parents sent him to Passages Malibu, a nontraditional (non-twelve step) 28-day program that focuses on holistic therapies such as yoga, meditation, organic nutrition and hypnosis.

"You get discouraged when they tell you there's only one way to get better," Daniel explained. "This finally opened up my eyes that it can be different - that I can build my own recovery based on what works for me. I soaked it up like a sponge and the experience just completely changed me from the inside out."

Now a year sober, Daniel is preparing to study to get his Master's degree in social work in the fall. And he and his mother are now hoping to open a nontraditional center of their own called Relevance Wellness Center on their farm property in Farmingdale, New Jersey. The center, partly modeled after Passages Malibu, would offer a mix of private/individual therapies such as acupuncture, homeopathy, sound therapy and a personal aftercare program. The family is currently seeking investors for the center.

Daniel originally volunteered with Steered Straight when he was fulfilling community service requirements for school but quickly became more involved. Now, he and his family are helping move the program into kindergarten and elementary school.

More Voices