On Dec. 10, McQuaid Jesuit welcomed home Mr. Doug Dolan, ‘88.  Mr. Dolan spoke to the high school about his personal story of addiction and the consequences of it.

Mr. Dolan’s speech began with his time at McQuaid.  As a freshman he began drinking, and as time went on he continued to try other substances.  He skipped college and moved to California where he found success with a computer company while also continuing to struggle with addiction.  He was considered extremely responsible and was often promoted by his company and respected by his peers.  However, no one knew of the struggles Mr. Dolan was working hard to keep hidden. 

Finally, after a party, he attempted to drive multiple coworkers home but crashed into a light pole.  Mr. Dolan accepted jail time for the offense, rather than community service or a suspended license.

He explained his reasoning by saying that it seemed less disruptive to go to jail than to lose his license and scramble for alternative transportation. Mr. Dolan was once even arrested for climbing on top of a bank while intoxicated.

Mr. Dolan went on to say that he has been clean since that time he put others’ lives in jeopardy.  He said he sacrificed everything he needed to to get out of the financial hole and addiction he found himself in.

He bought a restaurant in Arizona that eventually closed due to the Great Recession of 2008.  Around this same time, his wife had life-threatening health issues, while her father was diagnosed with cancer.  On top of that, his brother and one of his best friends both overdosed. 

Mr. Dolan explained how he was on the phone with his sister-in-law while his brother was overdosing.  The gravity of this moment appeared to resonate with students, as an intense, respectful silence fell over the audience.

Many students really appreciated the raw honesty of the assembly.

“I really appreciated how open he was with us,” senior Michael Chiariello said.

Senior Connor Phipps praised Mr. Dolan, saying, “He was one of the best speakers yet. His talk was also not politically charged.”

Senior Benjamin Hintz, however, shared some concerns about students’ reception of Mr. Dolan’s message.

“I thought it was very powerful, but I think most of the kids didn’t really take it seriously because it was about drugs,” Hintz said.

The general consensus among students was that the beginning of the speech may not have been taken seriously enough by all students, but the overwhelming majority thought the assembly was an incredible success.  There were even a few students who said the assembly was nearly as powerful as that of Greg Boyle, S. J.