Former Boston Celtics point guard Chris Herren, who lasted just two seasons in the NBA because of his drug addiction, visited Newtown on April 7th to talk to parents and students about his road to recovery.
During the school day Herren spoke to the Newtown High School student body, while at night, he spoke to the Newtown parents and community.
Herren spends his time traveling around the country sharing his story for his organization “The Herren Project.” Despite Herren’s addictions, much of his speech focused on helping young people be themselves and not masking that with drugs and alcohol. Herren’s tone was at times brutally honest and occasionally difficult to hear. The NHS administration brought Chris Herren to Newtown as part of increased education to combat the dangers of substance abuse.
“He was at the last school district I was at where it was so well attended and the message is so timely and very important. The story of his journey is important for people to hear and the people here should know about it,” NHS Principal Dr. Lorrie Rodrigue said.
Herren has spoken to over one million students and parents nationwide and his message has been seen on a recent ESPN 30 for 30 documentary as well.
“The kids need to learn about the dangers of substance abuse differently and not keep hearing the same old story because I do not think scaring kids away from drugs and alcohol is very effective anymore,” Herren said.
The Herren Project assists people with the navigation process and helps people travel along the road to recovery. Herren’s talks are the first step towards figuring out the importance of a healthy lifestyle, good decision making and how to handle pressure within a teen's life.
“The mission of The Herren Project is to provide assistance in taking the first steps toward recovery and a life of sobriety, educational programs and resources to increase awareness on the signs of addiction and bring hope for a better tomorrow.”
Herren was recruited by many top college basketball programs and started his collegiate career at Boston College. However, it was not long before Herren suffered injuries and failed drug tests forcing him out of Boston College. Soon, he was picked up by Fresno State where he spent the rest of his time in college.
Herren was drafted in the second round of the 1999 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets where he played one season before being traded to the Boston Celtics.
The college star struggled with substance abuse throughout his playing career and was forced to stop playing basketball.
Since then, Herren has turned his life around in efforts to focus on sobriety and his wife and three children.
Despite the opinion that Herren’s message was too aggressive and that much of his own story was left out for those who had not seen the ESPN documentary, he provided another opportunity for the Newtown community to address the social problem of substance abuse.
Photo Credit: wildcats.sunyit.edu