The heroin epidemic has spread into the suburban landscapes of America and has created something just as dangerous as the lives it takes, its complete denial.

Tim Ryan struggled with addiction for 30 years, being incarcerated for 7 years for drugrelated convictions, overdosing 7 times, and being announced clinically dead 3 times. He lost his 20 year old son in 2014 to heroin and has attended 96 funerals since then. Painfully aware of the realities of drug addiction, Tim is now a recovering heroin addict and founder of the A Man in Recovery Foundation, working to expose the truth about addiction and work within communities to create solutions to drug addiction and instill the messages of hope and recovery.

Tim has been featured in over 50 publications, from the front page of the Chicago Tribute to Newsweek, The Steve Harvey Show, and Dr. Drew. He has also assisted CNN on a series about heroin in our community airing Fall 2016.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx