Tim Ryan (recovery advocate)

Tim Ryan is an American activist, drug abuse interventionist, author and speaker. He is the Founder and Executive director of “A Man in Recovery” foundation. According to the National Safety Council, Ryan is notable for his position in favor of Drug policy reform and as a proponent of legislative change in American drug policy.[1][2] His work was the subject of the A&E series “Dope Man” in July 2017.[3][4] Ryan is also the author of the book “From Dope to Hope: A Man in Recovery” published in 2017.[5]

Tim Ryan
Born1968
Crystal Lake, Illinois
NationalityUnited States of America
Known forAdvocacy for substance abusers, “A Man in Recovery Foundation”, “Dope Man”
Notable work
lobbyist for legislative change in American drug policy, proponent of Drug policy reform.
Websitetimryanspeaks.com

Early life and education

Tim Ryan was born in 1968 and raised in the city of Crystal Lake, Illinois. After graduating from Crystal Lake Central High School in 1986, Ryan attended the University of Louisiana at Monroe until 1989. As an adolescent, Ryan began abusing alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. After moving to Louisiana to attend college, the abuse escalated to drugs and ultimately led to his expulsion from university. According to Ryan, his issues with substance abuse dates back to childhood trauma. At an early age, Ryan suffered from dyslexia and ADHD, and was a victim of sexual abuse.

Later life

Struggle with addiction

Tim Ryan struggled with addiction for 30 years. At the age of 32, Ryan first used heroin and quickly slid into spending a substantial amount of money on illicit opioids. He was a successful technology entrepreneur who used a variety of drugs including alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana. He later got divorced, lost his home and a son to addiction.[6] According to him, during his years of drug abuse, he suffered two heart attacks, eight overdoses, was held in more than 20 county jails on drug and alcohol-related charges, and was pronounced clinically dead on three occasions.[7]

Recovery from addiction

During his stay at the Sheridan Correctional Center in the state of Illinois, Ryan joined the drug and alcohol treatment program. He became sober, attended group meetings and therapy sessions, and actively participated in the prison's rehabilitation program.[8] As a result of his personal transformation, Ryan was paroled in late 2013 after serving 13 months of a seven-year sentence. He continued to attend group meetings for recovering addicts. He then made extensive efforts to reach out to those struggling to overcome addiction to heroin and other opiates, and their families. Further, Ryan made plans to start his own organization, offering assistance to individuals, families and communities impacted by America's opioid abuse epidemic. He works to expose the truth about addiction from a former addict's perspective. He is also involved in communities, helping to find solutions to drug addiction and instill messages of hope and recovery.[9][10]

Career

A Man in Recovery Foundation (AMIR)

Following the death of his son, Ryan founded A Man in Recovery Foundation (AMIRF), a nonprofit anti-addiction organization.[11][12] Under Ryan's leadership, AMIRF sponsors recovery and support groups for drug addicts and their families. It provides placements in treatment centers and sober living facilities, and sponsors community outreach initiatives designed to raise awareness about the prevalence of opioid abuse and addiction.[13]

Under the auspices of AMIRF, Ryan works regularly as a motivational speaker, lecturer and a coach, counselor and interventionist for substance abusers.[14] According to him, he has led more than 1,500 interventions since his release from prison in 2013.[15]

Addiction counseling

Ryan is currently the national outreach Director for Transformations, a drug and alcohol treatment center. It offers adult, young adult, veterans, first responder, Christian and music-based recovery programs.[16] Before this position, he worked as the Midwest regional outreach coordinator for Banyan Treatment center in Pompano Beach, Florida. Ryan has also referred hundreds of people with substance use disorders to rehabilitation facilities throughout the United States. Ryan is an advisor to Rehab.com, a hub for people seeking information about drug and alcohol treatment centers.[17] He spoke at a community forum entitled "The Unforgettable Drug Program: The Cop and the Convict", cosponsored by the local nonprofit group KidsMatter and the Naperville Police Department.[18] He is an advocate for better treatment of people dealing with drug and alcohol use disorders.[1][19]

From Dope to Hope

Ryan's life story is detailed in his autobiography From Dope to Hope: A Man in Recovery, published in 2017.[5] The book introduces a man who lost everything to heroin and drug abuse and then recovered. His transformation came after he made decisions to dedicate his life to help others overcome addiction.[20] Ryan is an advocate of a 12-step peer support addiction treatment of addicts convicted of drug-related crimes. He formed many alliances with legislators, judges and law enforcement officials who share the same beliefs.

Recognition

Through his work, Ryan is referred to in the media as a national figure in the fight against the opioid epidemic in United States.[21][22] His life story and work have been featured in many publications, podcasts and television shows,[23] including the Chicago Tribune,[18] Newsweek,[24] The Steve Harvey Show[25] and Dr. Drew's podcast. Ryan has collaborated with Bill Foster, Steve Harvey, Drew Pinsky and Jason Hervey in national campaigns against substance abuse. In January 2016, Ryan was invited by Rep. Bill Foster, D-Illinois, to attend President Obama's State of the Union Address.[24] Ryan was an invited guest of many medical shows including the Steve Harvey Show (with Dr. Drew), The Doctors, The Bill and Wendy Show on WGN radio and Varney & Company on the Fox Business. In 2016, Ryan spoke about the opioid epidemic at the TEDx Naperville conference.[26] Ryan was the star of the A&E documentary Dope Man, produced by Bischoff Hervey Entertainment and aired on July 31, 2017.[27][3][4] Ryan was featured in more than 50 notable national and state newspapers and magazines including Newsweek, USA Today and the Chicago Tribune. He also assisted CNN on a series about heroin in the community in the Fall of 2016. His work at the A Man in Recovery Foundation (AMIRF) in Naperville, Illinois, has been mentioned in several state media.[12][11]

Personal life

Ryan, a native of Illinois, was a long-time heroin addict who served time in prison for drug-related crimes and aggravated DUI. His son Nick also suffered from addiction and died from a heroin overdose at the age of 20.[28][29] Ryan's first marriage ended in divorce while he was in prison. Ryan's son Max participates in many of his anti-drug presentations, offering testimony about what it was like to grow up in a home with an addicted father. Ryan currently resides in the city of Los Angeles .[30] Tim is married to model and sobriety advocate Jennifer Gimenez.[30]

gollark: The terra cannot be stopped. The terra has infiltrated all dragons.
gollark: Just set up a teleport with some random AP egg and I'll send a CB nebulon egg.
gollark: If you have a magi spare and an egg slot I can send a CB one to you now.
gollark: I believe the wall of doom will be hitting the AP tomorrow.
gollark: If there weren't wild dragons breeding to the cave to keep lineages short, everything would be Terrafreaky in their lineages somewhere.

See also

References
  1. "Addicts in recovery discuss their journey from prison to lifesaving advocacy". The Oklahoman. October 24, 2017.
  2. "Tim Ryan". National Safety Council.
  3. "A&E's 'Dope Man' Documents Naperville Man's Crusade Against Heroin". Chicago Tribune. 15 July 2017.
  4. "24. A&E's 'Dope Man' Confronts America's Opioid Crisis". The Maine Edge. August 2, 2017.
  5. Ryan, Tim (March 14, 2017). From Dope to Hope: A Man in Recovery. Spiritus Communications. p. 198. ISBN 978-0984591725.
  6. "Recovered heroin addict Tim Ryan lost his wife, his home--and a son--to addiction". Du Quoin Evening Call. 6 October 2016.
  7. "A Story of Addiction and Recovery". 22 January 2018.
  8. "Dope Man' Chronicles Day in the Life of a Heroin Interventionist". 31 July 2017.
  9. ""Hope Dealer" speaks at drug court graduation". The Sun-Gazette. December 6, 2017.
  10. "Anti-drug advocate shares life story with teens at Du Quoin High School". The Southern Illinoisan. October 5, 2016.
  11. "NCTV17 - A Man in Recovery Foundation". Naperville Community Television - NCTV17. October 29, 2015.
  12. "A Man in Recovery, Tim Ryan: "Get Help Before You Hit Rock Bottom". WGN Radio. April 10, 2018.
  13. "Pickleball tourney raises funds, hope for recovery". Daily Herald. April 17, 2018.
  14. "Ryan Finds Fulfillment in Telling Story". April 26, 2017.
  15. "Crystal Lake speakers talk heroin epidemic in Chicago suburbs, tips to fight drug abuse". Northwest Herald. May 6, 2015.
  16. "A tireless advocate for the long-term recovery of others".
  17. "Profiles in Recovery". DrugRehab.
  18. "'Cop and Convict' team up to deliver message of hope over dope to Naperville families". Chicago Tribune. December 15, 2017.
  19. "Breaking stigma a big step toward curing addicts". Daily Journal (Illinois). 20 January 2018.
  20. "Tim Ryan – Treatment and Recovery". Rockers in Recovery. 10 October 2017.
  21. "'Hope dealer': Anti-heroin activist attracts devotion, criticism". Chicago Tribune. March 18, 2016.
  22. "Naperville Man Subject Of New Reality Show". CBS Chicago. July 31, 2017.
  23. "Ep009: Tim Ryan – Recovering Heroin Addict, A&E's "Dope Man," and National Thought Leader on Opioid Epidemic".
  24. "18 Vips Invited To Watch The State Of The Union". Newsweek. 12 January 2016.
  25. "Dr. Drew shares thoughts on Heroin Addiction" on YouTube
  26. "Tim Ryan - Hope Dealer & Drug Addiction and Rehabilitation Expert". TED (conference). November 4, 2016.
  27. "Dope Man," A Brand New Hour-Long Special That Takes An In-Depth Look At The Unexpected Face Of Addiction". July 5, 2017.
  28. "Former Naperville heroin addict's son dies from overdose". Daily Herald. August 5, 2014.
  29. "Recovering father tells story of son's overdose". Herald-Whig, Quincy, Illinois. April 19, 2017.
  30. "Jennifer Gimenez Marries Tim Ryan In Private New Year's Eve Ceremony". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
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