Xanax, Methadone and Vicodin Combination Kill Teen

Teen, mother give personal warnings about drug abuse


Corey McNeill, a De Pere High School senior and standout wrestler, left a mourning family behind. The 18-year-old died of an overdose during an October 2006 party after taking a combination of Xanax, methadone and Vicodin.


Matt Danen, 19, is also suffering the consequences. He provided the methadone and is now serving a jail term in Brown County. Upon release, he will still have the ramifications of having two felony drug convictions on his record.


He said he never considered just how severe the consequences could become.


"Everything I did backfired on me in the long run," Danen said.


McNeill's mother, Karen Falck, and Danen spoke Monday night to a crowd of several hundred people at Kimberly High School, providing their personal warnings to parents and students on the danger of prescription drug abuse.


Falck reminded students that they aren't invincible. She told
parents to follow through on their suspicions. Falck suspected drugs and confronted her son, but said she didn't push hard enough.


He could just wrap up that whole conversation with a smile and a hug, and I'd believe him," she said.

I’ve Found My Place

I’ve Found My Place

All my life, all I ever wanted was to feel like I fit in. I always felt as if I was on the outside looking in. I never felt like I belonged. When I was a teenager at fifteen, I got high on drugs for the first time, and finally felt like I fit. I felt comfortable in my own skin and felt a sense of belonging. The only problem was that the high only lasted for so long. And, when t came to an end, I craved more; more of that sense of belonging. So, for the next 5 years, that is what I did, I chased that feeling by drinking alcohol and using drugs. No matter what, it was never enough because the feeling was not genuine. I needed an illicit drug or pharmaceuticals to produce it for me because I did not know that what I needed was to start to love myself.

Now that I have been sober for a couple years, have worked the 12 steps, and practice the principles of the program in my life, I have finally found my place in the world. I finally feel like I fit. It has definitely been a long and strenuous journey, but it gets better each day. I no longer need a drug to make me feel ok; I can be ok on my own. And, my newfound sense of belonging is no longer temporary. It will be with me as long as I remain in contact with my higher power and stay connected in Alcoholics Anonymous.

If feels good to love who I am today. My life is far greater than I ever imagined it would be.

Elizabeth M