NBA Player's Journey from Addiction to Recovery Inspires Downers Grove Students

In a crowd of nearly 800 people at Downers Grove North High School on Oct. 10, a 15-year-old heroin addict stood and asked for help.

The girl's brave act was met with applause and tears from the audience and a hug from former NBA player Chris Herren, who came to Downers Grove last week to share his own battle with drug and alcohol abuse.

Herren's 14-year battle with drug addiction has been chronicled publicly through media reports, as well as the 2011 ESPN documentary, "Unguarded." His drug use began when he was an 18-year-old freshman at Boston College, when he tried cocaine for the first time. He was kicked out of the school the same year after failing three drug tests for marijuana and cocaine use.

The drug abuse continued at Fresno State, where Herren played basketball from 1996 to 1999.

In 2000, Herren was drafted by the Denver Nuggets before being traded to the Boston Celtics. He developed a $25,000 a day addiction to Oxtycontin during his time in the NBA, and went on to use heroin while playing basketball in Italy.

Herren's drug abuse has resulted in several overdoses and felonies, including driving under the influence and possession of heroin.

Herren, now 37, finally overcame his addiction to drugs and alcohol after intensive rehabilitation and several relapses and has been drug-free since Aug. 1, 2008. He started up a program called Hoop Dreams in 2009 to mentor young basketball players on an off the court, and published an autobiography, Basketball Junkie: A Memoir, in 2011. 

He now travels throughout the United States, sharing his story with students and adults alike. His hope, he said, is to deter not only drinking and drug abuse, but any negative behavior that affects teens.

"I do this because I truly believe in my heart that it's making a difference," Herren said. "Every auditorium I walk into and every school I speak in front of, I pray there's a little boy or little girl that's willing to take a chance on themselves

Herren's visit was planned in conjunction with National Red Ribbon Week and comes during a time of heightened concern over the growing use of heroin in DuPage County and the surrounding area.

Herren said parents should be particularly concerned about prescription pills, the drug that ultimately led him to heroin.

"The pills that the kids have easy access to are killing twice as many people per year as heroin and cocaine," Herren said.

Inspired by Herren's story, several students and parents stood and shared their own struggles with addiction.

Diana Benoist, student assistance coordinator at Downers Grove South, said Herren's talk at the school earlier that day prompted dozens of students to come forward and seek help, some for drug addiction and others for depression and other issues.

"We had an onslaught of kids come forward ... wanting to access services right away," Benoist said. "Chris has made a huge impact."

In the wake of Herren's visit, both high schools will continue offering regular counseling services and focusing on student and parent outreach, Benoist said.

"Parents don't always think to use the school as a resource, but we really encourage that," Benoist said.