Megan wants one day to become an actress in independent films. For now, she measures out her life a day at a time.
One day, she's down. Another day, she says she's "doing awesome -- I have my GED, and I have this feeling I'm going to make it."
The next day, she says, she's not so good.
A roller-coaster of emotions is normal for any teen-ager, but for 17-year-old Megan the highs and lows are more extreme.
The Alexandria, Ky., teen is a recovering heroin addict.
This is Megan's story, as she tells it:
She began smoking marijuana at the age of 11, as a student at Heritage Academy, a Christian school in Florence. Her first exposure to heroin was at Campbell County High School, around Thanksgiving 2000, her sophomore year.
"I came into Campbell County as a pothead," Megan said.
"The whole school was a sea of prep. But there was this small group of girls who were the opposite of that, more like new-age hippies. We were a tight-knit little group -- four of them, plus me.
"They introduced me to cocaine, which I thought was a waste of money. They introduced me to heroin, too. The first time I did it, I didn't get anything from it. Then I tried it again. That time, it hit me.
"What happens is, your whole body completely relaxes. There's no pain. If you're feeling bad mentally, it's gone. There's just this feeling of peace, like the sun setting in your soul."
The first two to three months, it was "a recreational weekend thing." Then it grew into a habit.
"It got to where, you couldn't wait for the weekend. Then snorting it wasn't good enough. Five or six months into it, I started using needles."
It went on that way for a year or so until her mother became suspicious.
"She caught on to my mood swings, the rudeness, my meanness.
"One day last summer, she went through my room and found my kit. She flipped out."
It was a turning point. Megan said she realized she'd rather have her family than the drug. She went through her own self-imposed withdrawal.
"Basically, I stayed in my room for two weeks. Withdrawal is pretty much murder." At her mother's suggestion, Megan agreed in August to appear before the Campbell County Juvenile Drug Court. She signed a contract consenting to random urine tests at least every other day, curfew checks, and random checks of her bedroom.
After Megan relapsed on her birthday, she spent two weeks in detention -- including Christmas day.
"I don't have a life," she said.
"I asked my mom if I could have lunch with an old friend who used to use, but isn't any more. She said 'No.'
"I didn't argue with her.
"I never did anything my mom told me not to do -- except drugs."