For Mike Duggan '12, the future started with a hotline.

As a teen and Bentley student, Duggan struggled with an opioid addiction. He had broken his wrist during a high school hockey game and was prescribed pain medication. Becoming addicted took him by surprise. But the biggest struggle? Finding sustainable treatment. Thanks to his family, he found support — and was determined to change the system.

"When someone hears, 'Sorry, we don’t have a bed for you,' I don’t want that to be the last call they make," Duggan explains.

  

Addiction is isolating because there's so much shame ... the opposite is human connection.

Mike Duggan '12

His solution was founding a hotline that grew into Wicked Sober LLC, a free resource assistance program for addicts and their families. 

"I created Wicked Sober with the dream and hope of helping every addict who needs it," he says. 

The growing program is now part of Recovery Centers of America, a nationwide organization that helps thousands of people each year. 

Duggan remembers getting up every morning in his Bentley dorm room and telling himself: "Today is the day. I'm going to quit drugs." But, like so many addicts, he felt alone, and ended up dropping out of school.

"Addiction is isolating because there's so much shame," he says. "It’s unrealistic for society to expect an addict to manage their own care. The opposite of addiction is human connection, getting connected to the right people and programs."

Today, Duggan is a proud Bentley grad, a husband and father, and a supportive son. 

"Several years ago, my dad went into the hospital on Father's Day because of his own alcoholism," Duggan remembers. "And who did he call? Me. He knew I wasn't going to judge him but help him get the resources he needed." 

The next Father's Day, Duggan gave his dad a one-year-sober anniversary medallion. 

"If you're struggling, don't give up hope," he says. "Anybody can be touched by this disease. You're not alone."