 "Photo: Karl Anderson")
After more than two years of sobriety, Katie Ryan refuses to let the allure of college life send her spiraling back to addiction.
Following the death of her mother in 2005, Ryan, then age 14, turned to drugs and alcohol for comfort.
“I did not want to deal with any of it,” the Dallas native said. “I didn’t know how to handle those feelings.”
For two years, the emotionally distraught teen abused alcohol and drugs and suffered from bulimia. Seeing she was sinking, her father checked her into rehabilitation at age 16.
“I think she was sad, but she also realized that maybe somewhere inside of her she needed to go to this place, and that things were spiraling out of control,” said her father, William Ryan. “She was kind of slow to accept it, but she didn’t fight the situation at all. She didn’t resist.”
Katie, a freshman with no declared major, has come a long way since her days in rehab.
Arriving at Texas Tech on Aug. 22, she said she was drawn to the university because of its state-of-the-art addiction center.
The Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery in its most basic form is a home away from home for students who struggle, or have struggled, with addiction. It features a basement area only accessible to members of the center to allow for a safe and supportive environment.
“It would be a lot harder if I had to do this alone, and without the center,” she said. “It really has helped me meet new people and be OK with being in recovery in college.”
One of the most difficult things about fighting to stay sober in college is the partying mindset many college students have. It is a big issue for freshmen who must live in the dorms and in some cases share their room with a complete stranger who may have different habits.
To solve this problem, the center has a program for its students in which rooms are reserved in Clement Resident Hall for recovering students to share.
“I love my roommate, she is really cool and is involved with the center,” Katie Ryan said. “She is also clean. A lot in college, people think you have to meet other people at parties, and it just shows I don’t have to.”
Remaining sober in college can be difficult, but Katie Ryan said it is usually easy for her because she is determined to never return to her old self.
“I used to feel like crap about myself,” she said. “When I went into rehab, I would remember things like truly embarrassing times at parties when I was the most effed up person there, and everyone was like looking at me weird. I would say and do things that were really embarrassing or act stupid, and people didn’t want to be around me. I don’t want to be like that again.”
Laura Forrester, a senior psychology major from Dallas, met Katie Ryan through the center and has been inspired by her honesty and strength.
“Katie is determined and she knows what she wants and how to get it,” Forrester said. “Especially when it comes to staying sober and working with others in an honors program.
She is true to herself and other people. She is real and tells the truth and doesn’t try to hide stuff.”
When struggling with addiction, Forrester said, it is important to remember no one is alone.
It is important to open up and let other people help, and Katie Ryan is not afraid to do so.
“She is really willing to learn from other people,” she said. “Also, she is a really good friend. Every day she texts me, ‘How are you doing?’ and you can just tell she cares for me and wants the best for me. There are so many people out there that are just self-seeking, and she is not like that at all.”
Katie Ryan’s father, William Ryan, said he is glad his daughter chose to attend Tech and appreciates all the center has done and is doing for her.
“I think Katie has been active in it, and I’m proud of her for doing that,” he said. “She has seen the light, and on her own is making the right choices. As a parent, I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
5 comments
Tech Dad
Sugar Land, Texas
“I love my roommate, she is really cool and is involved with the center,” Katie Ryan said. “She is also clean. A lot in college, people think you have to meet other people at parties, and it just shows I don’t have to.”I appreciated these statements regarding Katie. I am so happy to hear of this young person and student and her resolve to "overcome".Katie, keep up the good hard work.Cordially,
Charles, Administrator
Stop DWI. Inc.
www.midlandstopdwi.org.