Tim Ryan (recovery advocate)

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.