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Greg Wear hit bottom a couple of years ago, living the life of a homeless, thieving drug addict. But he’s turned his life around and is on a mission to help others.
 Greg Wear, a recovering drug addict, now helps other people escape their addictions. Enrique Gutierrez/Tracy Press
Addiction.
For those who fight it, the word stumbles off the tongue about as easily as an admission of the disease. Addiction comes in forms as innocent as caffeine and as deadly as heroin and can take down people of any age, social status or creed.
For Greg Wear, it came in quarter grams of methamphetamine. The 44-year-old met addiction head on after his wife kicked him out of the house 12 years ago and kept him away from their two children.
"It just ripped my heart out," Wear said. "So I turned to drugs to numb the pain."
After a decade blurred by theft, homelessness, drug sales and sporadic jail time, Wear staggered into a Narcotics Anonymous meeting on 11th Street, desperate for hope.
"I was scared to death," he said.
Two years later, Wear credits his survival to the small group of fellow addicts who became his friends and support system. He recently founded Tracy’s second Narcotics Anonymous group on Wednesday evenings to rescue more people from addiction, whether it’s to alcohol, food or drugs of any kind.
In a town with more than 50 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings a week, few show up at the Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Attendance in both the Sunday and Wednesday groups rarely reaches a dozen.
"It’s kind of a mystery that so few people come, considering the need and the participation in surrounding communities," said Scott S., who is a leader in both Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.
He says the local groups helped him drop marijuana and alcohol.
Scott S. wanted to remain anonymous, as is customary among drug-recovery group members. Wear agreed to give his name in hopes more addicts would seek help.
Mario Walden, a supervisor with a faith-based drug rehab program called Teen Challenge in Turlock, refers drug and alcohol abusers to recovery groups like Narcotics Anonymous.
"It’s very important to have a support group," he said "As an ex-addict, I need accountability."
Wear stands in front of his accountability group each week and begins with a confession: He is an addict.
At first, meth was his drug of choice; then, cocaine and heroin took the top spot. He’d burn through $100 worth of heroin and $80 in meth every day. On days he could sell pricey stolen goods, Wear and his second wife, Kimberly, would devour $700 in drugs.
"I’d steal anything that wasn’t tied down," Wear said in a tone of disappointment. "I was your worst nightmare."
Once the money ran out, he and Kimberly found themselves on the streets in Hayward, drained and desperate. A friend in Tracy invited them to stay in her home for a short time so they could flee from the surroundings that held them in the cycle of addiction.
The two turned to Narcotics Anonymous and were paired with sponsors who walked them through the program’s 12 steps.
"I went from holding a sign on the street to working every day," Wear said.
Now, after more than two years clean and sober, he is known for his work ethic on the night shift at one of the area’s largest manufacturers. Wear and Kimberly, who also just celebrated two years without drugs, rent a studio apartment in central Tracy where their six grandchildren often visit.
"I hated myself," Wear said. "I love who I am today."
His sobriety faced a true test six months ago when his 26-year-old son killed himself. But drugs had lost their comforting appeal for Wear. He leaned on friends, family and his Christian faith to get through his grief.
He tells his story of triumph against incredible odds to most anyone who will pause to listen.
"To keep what you’ve got, you’ve got to give back," he said. "We need addicts in this town to come out of the woodwork and pull together to get better."
• Wear's Narcotics Anonymous group meets 6 p.m. Wednesdays at Recovery Central, 167 W. 11th St.
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