Seeking to steer them straight

When you hear Michael DeLeon talk about his life, it's hard to imagine how he survived as long as he has.

DeLeon came to Green River Thursday through Mrs. Wyoming American, Bree McMullan, a Green River resident who found out about his school discussions through a pageant competition in Las Vegas. With support of Sweetwater County School District No. 2 and Victoria's Voice, a foundation aimed at curbing youth addiction, DeLeon spoke to teens and parents throughout the day.

For DeLeon, addiction started young. Starting with alcohol, tobacco and marijuana at 11, he started using cocaine at 15, heroin at 17 and discovered methamphetamine at 19. He eventually fell into gang activity after his addiction cost him a rapidly-growing parcel delivery service.

Throughout his life, he has been clinically dead six times. After being in the hospital for nine weeks following an overdose, he recalls being discharged from the hospital and immediately getting high upon leaving. He's survived cancer twice and at one time had a hit put on him after his involvement in a drug deal resulted in the relative of a rival gang member being killed. The result of that was DeLeon's mother being murdered on May 14, 1995.

"I'm not okay with the consequences I brought on other people," he told students at Green River High School Thursday. "I caused the death of my mother on Mother's Day."

Eventually, DeLeon's life of addiction-driven crime resulted in a 12-year prison sentence when he was 28. It was in prison DeLeon found his calling. He was involved in the television series "Scared Straight" during the last five years of his term. The reality-television program placed teens facing problems related to drug abuse and gang affiliation into prisons to speak with inmates about the realities of prison and the choices the inmates made that led to their incarceration.

DeLeon never believed the program worked at keeping kids from going to prison, but found he enjoyed talking one-on-one with teens about the choices he made and how he wound up in prison.

Following his release, he started working as a film maker and produced documentaries focused on drug addiction, interviewing hundreds of people over the years.

One thing continued to stand out throughout all of the interviews, the fact each person he spoke with said they started using alcohol, tobacco and marijuana at a young age.

For DeLeon, he said he started using at a young age because he didn't want to open up to any adults about the troubles he was having after his parents were divorced, only talking to a "cool" teen at a basketball court one day after being suspended from school. That teen offered him a cigarette. Later he would sneak out and go to parties where people would give him beer or marijuana when he tried to talk about what he was dealing with to the older teens.

DeLeon's message isn't just to feel free to open up about the struggles they have, but also to avoid drinking or smoking until they're older, if they're interested in trying it -- waiting until their brains have developed further to avoid lifelong consequences that could stem from addiction.

One thing he did attempt to dissuade students from using were vaping products, because of how dangerous and untested many of the materials used in the products have been shown to be.

Counselors at Green River High School know teens face issues related to substance abuse, though the exact scope of the situation at GRHS isn't well known.

"I see quite a lot of it," Shannon Brichacek, a counselor at GRHS said.

Brichacek said she works with at-risk teens at the school and those facing multidisciplinary issues -- consequences of actions that involved both the school district and other agencies.

However, the health aspects of drug use are not at the front of many teens' minds, as Brickacek says most are worried about school or legal consequences when they're caught.

However, some teens appear to be more open to talking about it now.

"I have more kids talking about their struggles with addiction," GRHS counselor Dani Deters said.

Some students also came away with insight following DeLeon's presentation.

Callie Raney, a senior at the high school, said DeLeon changed her perspective on how much the pharmaceutical industry has impacted drug use, while Addyson Eff, another senior,said it gave her insight as to what kind of struggles other teens faced. Overall, DeLeon said he views the kids and teens with hope as they approach the future.

"I'm here to talk to you," he said. "You're the ones I have hope in."