Tim Ryan the author of From Dope to Hope: A Man in Recovery joins us today on The SHAIR Podcast.
A six-figure salary, a beautiful home in the suburbs, a loving family – Tim Ryan had it all, then lost it all because of an addiction to heroin, cocaine, other drugs and alcohol.
For years, Tim had great success in business and in life, despite a habit that was forming around “drinking and drugging.” But when he added heroin to the mix, Tim’s balancing act spiraled out of control. Often spending nearly $500 a day to support his opiate habit, his career and relationships suffered setback after setback. His uncontrollable addiction to substances resulted in multiple overdoses, rehab stays, and even jail time.
Sentenced to seven years in the Sheridan Correctional Center for a number of drug-related convictions, Tim got clean and sober behind bars. However, “life on the outside” wasn’t working in his favor.
While there, his wife divorced him. And his son Nick, who he had introduced to heroin along with his teenage friends, continued to abuse the drug, caught in a seemingly hopeless trap. Tim was released from prison after just 14 months, yet his time there was enough to convince him to maintain a strong 12-step recovery program. At last, it seemed as though hope was returning to his life.
But six months later, the bottom fell out. His 20-year-old son Nick died tragically from a heroin overdose.
Attempting to get beyond the devastation and heartbreak, Tim used Nick’s death as the inspiration to spread a message of hope and recovery to others, believing that if even one family could be spared the horrors of the disease of addiction, he would be making a difference. Then one family led to two, which led to four, which led to eight and so on.
Today, in addition to running addiction recovery groups for addicts and families, Tim is the Chief Marketing Officer for Banyan Treatment Centers. He is a “sober coach” and frequently speaks to school groups, corporations and others who care to hear his message. And, most importantly, he is the founder of A Man in Recovery Foundation, whose vision is ambitious yet realistic.
Tim believes he is blessed with the gift of continued sobriety, and he has made it his personal mission to promote awareness of the life-threatening effects of opiate addiction, most especially heroin. He has left the business world behind, instead committing himself to educate people about the hard truths of addiction and the potential for a full and happy life in recovery.
Join us now as Tim takes us through his battle with Drugs and Alcohol and his inspiring journey into recovery. You don’t want to miss this episode!
