Bobby Ryan's feeling better these days.
The Ottawa Senators' veteran spoke to the media Friday about his road to recovery from an alcohol problem that has kept him out of the lineup since November. Ryan entered the NHL/NHLPA assistance program Nov. 20, and Friday the 32-year-old addressed his absence from the team and his progress.
"I'm doing great," Ryan told reporters, as quoted by the Canadian Press. "I've been back since December in some capacity and what that capacity is gets gradually updated, but I'm doing very, very well.
"It's been trying at times, but everyone's been very supportive. My recovery has been a process and a learning thing for me for sure, but I've come a long way and just continuing to get better with it each day."
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The 13th-year forward said talking about his alcohol problem is tough, but his recovery has greatly progressed since entering the player assistance program. Ryan had originally tried to face the issue on his own, which he said was the "wrong way" to approach it.
"It's something I've been battling for a while," he said. "I've tried on my own and I was already getting help for it. What I was doing wasn't enough. I was trying the white knuckle thing and do things the wrong way. I'd have 20 days of nothing and one real bad one and you just can't get better without (help). There's such a stigma around asking for help and I was trying to do it.
"I guess for me, I guess you could call it a panic attack, but it was more a realization that the route that I was going had no good end in sight and that's not just professionally, that's personally. I didn't want to continue to do that."
There's no public timeline for Ryan's return to the Senators, but he said he's fit and hopes to play "within the next two weeks." Ryan has one goal in 16 games this season.