thank you, ikea. oh, john can't come. my uncle geoff just confirmed. the one that's always bringing a plus-one? yes, but we've got plus-one insurance. what's your dream? at ikea, we help you live it. make the dream yours. (cheering)

thank you, ikea. oh, john can't come. my uncle geoff just confirmed. the one that's always bringing a plus-one? yes, but we've got plus-one insurance. what's your dream? at ikea, we help you live it. make the dream yours. (cheering) this is a special edition of "nightline." "recovery high." dan harris reports. >> i just got to last a business week of not getting kicked out, not dying. if i can do that for like five days. >> reporter: for harry, staying alive is a goal you have to set. >> [ bleep ]. i feel like such a scumbag.

i'm harrison. i am an intravenous heroin user. i'm going to get high. i don't want to use, i just can't stop, you know? you got to stop recording. >> i'm nicole. been doing drugs since i was like 13. i always felt like lonely and depressed. and anxious. other than that, i never felt anything. >> when i say to her things like, you should be a model, she looks at me like i'm crazy. >> it's a struggle. my name is matt. instantly i did a line of oxy. and i fell in love. and it ruined my life. >> reporter: harry, matt, and nicole are all students at an experimental public high school in worcester, massachusetts, with one main entrance requirement -- you have to be an

addict to get in. >> the first thing i think of when i wake up is just like, how's today going to go? am i going to use today? >> i love them like my own children. i don't want to give up on a single kid. what's with you, aren't you in group? >> reporter: susan strong is the principal of rockdale recovery high. >> i'm afraid they're going to overdose. overdose and die. that's my greatest fear. okay, what have we got here? magical urine? >> reporter: to remain a student you have to be clean of all drugs and alcohol. >> look how clean that is! >> reporter: as america's opioid crisis balloons and teenagers become addicted at younger and younger ages, many people hope this model could be an answer. >> grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change -- >> reporter: "nightline" spent an entire year documenting these students' struggle for sobriety. >> did everyone hear what we're doing? >> we are making cards for

harry. >> is he coming back this >> reporter: they're starting off this school year without harry. >> harry relapsed and almost died on december 26th of 2015. it took two shots of narcan to revive him. harry's at a halfway who is in house in springfield. he's kept us awake so many nights. but we love him, we want him back. >> reporter: clean from heroin nearly 90 days, he is free to leave for the day to visit recovery high. >> my heart's beating a little fast now, i must say. >> you look fabulous. >> harry! >> what's up, buddy? how are you doing? >> come in it will be like old times. >> it's bittersweet because we've had these moments with harry where he's come back and has been in treatment. >> don't act like you don't see me, bro. >> without notice the very next week harry could be on the street carrying 20 bags of heroin.

>> reporter: at the end of the day, harry heads back to his halfway house with hopes of rejoining his classmates full-time soon. >> i did some pretty crazy things to get drugs. i stole money. i sold myself. >> how bad did your addiction get at its worst? >> at its worst? i end up watching my friend pass away from an overdose, and i felt responsible, because i was the one that they used the narcan on last time so i was the reason there was no more narcan. >> you had od'd in that same space and they used narcan on you, so there was none left? >> yeah. i've been pretty depressed lately. just been going through whatever i've been going through. >> reporter: after school, instead of going home to her family, nicole spends her evenings here. >> this is a shared apartment between every lovely person that lives here. at one point there was like 15 of us. >> this is our home.

her parents even knew that. >> she's disconnecting from her family, i worry about that. >> she is like a mother to me. >> reporter: l.j., a former heroin addict herself, knows how precarious sobriety can be. that's why she says she's always prepared. >> narcan because you never know when people will overdose or relapse and stuff, you want to be prepared. leave it right here. you take the cap off and put it into the nasal, stop somebody from dying. >> i almost died. doctors say i would have waited a couple more minutes, i'd be brain dead. >> there's a batch of heroin going around that people literally o.d. on and are dying on. we're in the thick of our disease, we don't care. we're going to go for the stuff that's taking everybody out, because that's the better high. >> it's friday morning. woke up about 30 minutes ago. this day could go to [ bleep ] very easily. >> reporter: matt stopped using oxycontin just two months ago. >> mostly what i was escaping from is i didn't feel i

belonged, i didn't feel like i fit in. >> reporter: he's now trying to find his footing in sobriety. >> i hurt a lot of people. i remember telling my dad, bursting into tears when i told him, it hurt him so bad. >> reporter: to help him, susan tries to find a hook. something to distract him from the urge to use. susan is hoping that hook is hockey. >> i'm out there, it's like a natural high. oh, yeah, right! >> reporter: matt's father, who lives in another town, comes to watch him play. >> he took to it. it's so awesome that matt's dad came today. that's a relationship that's really important to matt. >> it's my favorite thing to do is this. play hockey. i don't know, why it's just really fun. see you later. >> reporter: as we near the end of december, matt and all the students are dreading the holidays.

>> because it's going into the holidays. >> holidays are usually the worst in recovery. i don't know, it's just really stressful to have the whole family together. >> stressful. aunty susie always making drama. >> usually everyone's drinking. >> reporter: for harry, this time is especially dangerous. he has decided to leave his halfway house. >> living back at home now. i don't get that much money at a time, so i don't get high. >> hi, harry. >> hey! >> whenever harry goes back, he immediately starts using heroin. and for harry, that's a death sentence. >> reporter: fearful that harry is using again, susan asks him to come visit. >> hey, what's happening? >> reporter: when she sees him, her worst fears are confirmed. >> you look pretty high right now. >> oh my god -- yeah i've done a perc. >> have you shot heroin yet? >> no. >> that's a one-way road for you. because you almost died.

we might not be so lucky to have two shots of narcan to bring harry back to us. >> yeah, i feel that. >> yeah, so that's what's killing me. that's what's killing alisa. we don't want it to happen again. >> let us get you someplace where you're going to be safe. >> harry doesn't think he's worth saving. and i can't -- you can't walk away from that. >> what's this like for you? >> we can't convince harry to care about himself and believe that in ten years he's going to be amazing. because he will be. if he's not dead. >> reporter: unable to get harry to go back to rehab, susan reverts to plan "b." >> sweetie, you can walk in here tomorrow and start school. >> yeah? >> yeah. you can't come high. >> no [ bleep ]. >> will you show up tomorrow? >> i probably will. >> we would like you to. hopefully any minute he'll be in. >> texted him this morning, just checking to see if he's still coming in -- >> fingers crossed.

>> oh, here he is. >> [ bleep ]. >> nice to see you too. thanks for coming in. >> reporter: for matt, the shock of seeing harry back in school quickly gives way to the realization that harry has relapsed. >> that's my choice to leave? >> no, not at all. >> what are you using? >> percs again. >> dude, you're going to die. >> [ bleep ]. >> really makes me sad about harry. because i'm good friends with him. you know, he will die. 100%. i know it. and it's going to [ bleep ] suck. >> reporter: the next day, harry is a no-show. >> hi, deb, i wanted to check in. >> reporter: susan calls harry's mom who informs her that he won't be coming in today. >> he's staying home to help

work? for real? >> yeah. >> i have to think that is an awful decision. >> awful decision. >> he needs to be here. >> it's the worst decision on the planet. >> reporter: without being connected to his sober friends and without the close monitoring he gets at the school, they are convinced he will use heroin. >> i'm like -- are you freaking kidding me? i got nothing. so angry. you know what we're going to do? focus on the kids that are here. and be positive. because they deserve our attention. >> reporter: as the day ends and school closes down for vacation, the other students cope with holiday stress by exchanging one addiction for another. >> we're going to save some money. >> we're going to buy things we don't need. >> stuff we don't need. >> it's awesome being able to go to a store and actually be able to buy stuff. cause i used to spend all my money on drugs. >> reporter: harry is coping less well. >> december 27th, 2016.

a year ago yesterday, i actually -- is when i overdosed. sadly, i haven't stayed clean. been getting high every day. they don't really know that. >> reporter: then he drops a bomb on us. >> we are driving to go get high right now. yesterday and today i've gotten -- i got high on dope. >> reporter: he is back to using heroin. >> hey. got to stop at a corner. we just grabbed from a guy i knew. bag of dope. we got to turn off these lights now. >> reporter: in that car, harry is using heroin. the thing that nearly killed him a year ago. when we come back, three lives hang in the balance. >> there may be subtitles at the end of this special saying "in loving memory of harrison." memory of harrison."

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this special edition of "nightline" continues. >> three teenagers doing battle with addiction, trying not to become one of the estimated 33,000 people who will die of an opioid overdose this year. at least 2,000 of whom will be in massachusetts. after four months of being clean, harry has gone into full-blown relapse. using heroin. >> driving to go get high right now.

high on dope. i don't feel good doing this. i just can't stop, you know? like i don't want to use. but i'm talking to you right now while i'm high. like why isn't my willpower strong enough? it's because i'm weak? is it because like i'm not a man? you have an answer. you have a way out. but you consciously make a decision to buy more misery. to buy more pain. that's what i do. i'm still praying. i just don't know how much i believe in it right now. >> reporter: back at school, matt has replaced the urge to use with the urge to play. >> me and my buddy zach were asked to play with a bunch of older guys. now i have a chance to like put

in everything i have into a sport. not have to think about going home and using. >> how was it? >> it was great. >> it's tuesday, hockey day. i'm pretty [ bleep ] depressed. >> reporter: and nicole, who seemed a little lost during the holidays -- >> i think she doesn't feel like she has a lot to offer. when i say to her things like, you should be a model, she looks at me like i'm crazy. >> reporter: suddenly that dream doesn't seem so crazy. >> i am going to virginia, 40 to 50 agents around the country are going to be there. >> your goal is to become a model? >> yeah. >> you know what? this is awesome. >> reporter: nicole and her mom set out on a road trip, trying to make that dream a reality. >> i placed first runner-up in my division. i had over 30 call-backs. that's pretty good. >> reporter: but for seniors

matt and nicole, a new stressor is looming on the horizon. graduation. >> i'm worried about not having a sense of direction. because i feel a lot of people did that a lot for us here. >> i think even though they're trying to be tough guys, they're all terrified of what tomorrow will bring. >> reporter: one person who will not be at graduation, harry. >> did you use today? >> yeah. >> reporter: after he started using heroin again, harry's parents sent him into involuntary rehab. so we're on our way to see harry now. he recently got out of detox. he's at a transitional home. you pretty confident you can do it this time? >> if i wasn't confident, it's kind of like why even try? >> reporter: now he can even see a future. >> i'm doing this to become a better person for myself. i want to be able to have the wife, i want to be able to have the kids. i know that's crazy, but why does it have to be crazy? why can't i do that? >> reporter: there is another future he can also see. do you still worry people will be attending your funeral at some point?

>> yeah, but i want it to be a party. >> reporter: back at rockdale recovery high, graduation day has finally arrived. and the mood is quite somber. especially for matt, who won't meet our eye. what are you nervous about? >> leaving high school. >> i think he's really emotional about graduating. i also know that he relapsed and he's really embarrassed about that. >> let me ask you a tough question. we heard that you've had a bit of a setback recently. is that true? >> um -- yeah, it's true. i smoked weed. i felt guilty. and i was upset about it. i am sober. i had to restart. the only thing i changed was my clean date. >> are you proud of yourself? >> oh, yeah. >> here i am, graduating. >> reporter: a modeling career may be in her future. >> i actually have an interview on my birthday. >> the modeling world, it could be one that has temptation in it. does that worry you at all? >> this world that we live in is

a huge temptation. you can't shelter yourself. because that's not going to work. >> reporter: nicole and matt take the walk they never thought they would. >> it's been a life-changing experience, maybe even a life-saving experience. thank you for never giving up. >> moving forward in life, this will stick with me, the fact that there is a little bit of hope and that there are actually good people. >> reporter: and one final rite of passage. >> one, two, three -- congratulations, whoo! nice job! they're going to do it. they're going to be rock stars. ♪

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before we go, i want to thank the team that worked s before we go, i want to thank the team that worked so hard on tonight's broadcast, including "nightline" producer aaron brady and "nightline" senior producer jeff marts. thank you for watching abc news tonight. we're online 24/7 at abcnews.com and our "nightline" facebook page. thank you again for watching and thank you again for watching and good night. (dog panting) another 2am stroll, huh? i'm worried. i have this medical bill. dave, you have anthem, and they have people to talk to who are empowered to help answer any question you... (dog grunting, panting) is... is he okay? real people? living and breathing. hopefully not breathing like that. for all the things that keep you up at night, anthem blue cross has a solution.

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