Mia had always dreamed of being a professional dancer, and now her chance had finally come! It was June 15, 2010 and she had just graduated from a small high school in the hills of WV. Her senior dance recital was over, and her involvement in this show was phenomenal. Everyone, including her dance teacher, urged her to pursue her dreams and “soar to the top” of the dance profession. Although Mia was sheltered from living in such a small rural town, she convinced her parents to give their blessings pertaining to her decision involving that of moving to New York to continue studying dance, while auditioning for professional parts.

So here it was, June 15, 2010, and Mia boarded the plane for her big adventure to New York City. As she waved to her family and friends, she experienced feelings of both fear and excitement. The aircraft landed at JFK airport and Mia picked up her luggage and hailed a taxi. It was so exciting, this big magnificent city. Mia checked into the Carlton and went to her room and unpacked. She had to get to bed early so that she could begin her dance classes at the “Broadway Dance Center” at 9 AM in the morning. After waking up and having a quick late breakfast, Mia went to the dance center.

This was her dream- dancers warming up, instructors preparing for classes, all of the hustle and bustle that so made this world one of excitement and glamour. The 1st week Mia was exhausted. She worked at her dance technique, only to find that she needed more training than she had thought. After finding an apartment, she felt that she would have more time and space to practice, however she was just too tired to do anything after a day of classes at the center.

Mia had a couple of friends from the center who never got tired; they seemed to go and go. One night they came to visit her after classes and they told her their secret: that she could get a lot more energy if she took heroin each day. It would be just enough to boost her energy level. Looking at them, she decided that this might not be such a bad idea, and she succumbed. That was Mia’s downfall; she quickly ran out of money so she decided to sell some of this drug in order to get enough for her addiction. Bad led to worse and Mia found she did not even care much about dance anymore. Her only concern was how to get enough money for her drug.

Mia, being a smart girl, decided that she wanted to again feel normal and sought help at one of the best New York Drug Rehab Centers that Manhattan had to offer. She entered a program and for $13, 25 per day were prescribed Methadone a drug used to wean an addict away from heroin. The process is slow, but Mia feels back to normal and is dancing again. In fact she has been contracted to perform in the Radio City 2010 Christmas Spectacular. Although it is her sheer determination with the help and skill of the rehab center that Mia is on the right track, many agree that Mia’s “passion for dance” is her main incentive for “doing the right thing” and breaking the ties with heroin!