Ryan Johnson spiraled into addiction as his prospects faded. Now he’s a cautionary tale for high schoolers.
Photographer: Whitten Sabbatini for Bloomberg
Young White America Is Haunted by a Crisis of Despair
“America is not a great place for people with only a high school degree, and I don’t think that’s going to get better anytime soon.”
Ryan Johnson was 22 when he succumbed to a heroin addiction that had intensified as the Erie, Pennsylvania, high school graduate grew disillusioned with his future. His mother found him in his room with his head slumped and lips blue.
It was June 28, 2014, the day of his sister’s master’s-degree graduation party.