1 hr 14 min

Chris Herren | From Basketball Prodigy to Full-Blown Drug Addict to Recovery Advocate, Motivational Speaker & Founder of The Herren Project & Herren Wellness Knockin‘ Doorz Down

    • Mental Health

Chris’s love of basketball was forced on him in his childhood. It was a very competitive household. His brother was s very successful basketball star in high school, and Chris found himself following in his footsteps. His father was an alcoholic, and Chris feels he inherited this troublesome trait.
Chris Herren had a storied career in basketball. He loved the culture of basketball & performing, but he didn’t truly see this as a passion in his life. In his senior year, Herren was named the Boston Globe and Gatorade Player of the Year. He also was named to the McDonald's All-America Team. He went to Boston College in 1994, where he failed multiple drug tests for marijuana & cocaine, which led to him being kicked out of college and the team. He then transferred to Fresno State under coach Jerry Tarkanian. Chris says that the first four years at Fresno State were his career-defining years. He was at his best during that time but eventually fell back into his old habits.
When Herren made it to the NBA, he eventually made his way back to Boston to play for the Celtics. This is when his drug use hit its peak. He also started to increase his painkiller use with pills like OxyContin, Vicodin & Percocet. During playing abroad in Italy, he tried heroin for the first time. He would play for NBA teams abroad in places like Iran, where the punishment for heroin usage and sale is death, and yet he would still take that risk to get high.
He says looking back now that he was actually in worse shape during the season because the money he was getting paid at the time all went to drug use.  It hit a new low for Chris in 2007, he was charged with possession of heroin in the parking lot of a Dunkin' Donuts. A year later, Herren overdosed on heroin and crashed into a utility pole.
When you go to Chris Herren’s house, you won’t see and memorabilia from his time in the NBA. He is only proud of his time with Fresno State because he feels that this was the most passionate & level-headed he was playing basketball, in his entire career. He says here that this was the only time of his career that he’s proud of to this day. After his recovery, he started a program called Hoop Dreams, where he has, so far, taught over 1000 kids basketball.
After founding Hoop Dreams, he wrote a book in 2011 called ‘Basketball Junkie: A Memoir’. In 2012, It was turned into a documentary called “Unguarded” and nominated for 2 Emmy Awards. Chris Herren now devotes his time to the Herren Project. He opened Herren Wellness, with one location in Virginia, one in Massachusetts, that specializes in health and wellness, and recovery for addicts. They have placed over 5,000 people into treatment, 27 family online support groups a week. The program requires honesty, transparentness, and the ability to not break from the routine. A very inclusive approach that includes the whole dynamic of family & friends of the person in recovery.
He describes the involvement of their therapists, life coaches, and other medical staff when they are accepting a new addict for treatment. According to Chris, they are very involved in the recovery process, more so than similar programs. This is his new passion and new drive in his life & hopes to reach & help as many people as possible. 
This is Chris Herren in his own words, on Knockin’ Doorz Down.
For Carlos Vieira's autobiography Knockin' Doorz Down
https://www.kddmediacompany.com/
For 51FIFTY use the discount code KDD20 for 20% off!
https://51fiftyltm.com/
For more on the Knockin' Doorz Down podcast and to follow us on social media
https://www.kddmediacompany.com/podcast
For more information on the Carlos Vieira Foundation and the Race 2B Drug-Free, Race to End the Stigma, and Race For Autism programs visit:
https://www.carlosvieirafoundation.org/
For more on Chris Herren
https://herrentalks.com/

 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris’s love of basketball was forced on him in his childhood. It was a very competitive household. His brother was s very successful basketball star in high school, and Chris found himself following in his footsteps. His father was an alcoholic, and Chris feels he inherited this troublesome trait.
Chris Herren had a storied career in basketball. He loved the culture of basketball & performing, but he didn’t truly see this as a passion in his life. In his senior year, Herren was named the Boston Globe and Gatorade Player of the Year. He also was named to the McDonald's All-America Team. He went to Boston College in 1994, where he failed multiple drug tests for marijuana & cocaine, which led to him being kicked out of college and the team. He then transferred to Fresno State under coach Jerry Tarkanian. Chris says that the first four years at Fresno State were his career-defining years. He was at his best during that time but eventually fell back into his old habits.
When Herren made it to the NBA, he eventually made his way back to Boston to play for the Celtics. This is when his drug use hit its peak. He also started to increase his painkiller use with pills like OxyContin, Vicodin & Percocet. During playing abroad in Italy, he tried heroin for the first time. He would play for NBA teams abroad in places like Iran, where the punishment for heroin usage and sale is death, and yet he would still take that risk to get high.
He says looking back now that he was actually in worse shape during the season because the money he was getting paid at the time all went to drug use.  It hit a new low for Chris in 2007, he was charged with possession of heroin in the parking lot of a Dunkin' Donuts. A year later, Herren overdosed on heroin and crashed into a utility pole.
When you go to Chris Herren’s house, you won’t see and memorabilia from his time in the NBA. He is only proud of his time with Fresno State because he feels that this was the most passionate & level-headed he was playing basketball, in his entire career. He says here that this was the only time of his career that he’s proud of to this day. After his recovery, he started a program called Hoop Dreams, where he has, so far, taught over 1000 kids basketball.
After founding Hoop Dreams, he wrote a book in 2011 called ‘Basketball Junkie: A Memoir’. In 2012, It was turned into a documentary called “Unguarded” and nominated for 2 Emmy Awards. Chris Herren now devotes his time to the Herren Project. He opened Herren Wellness, with one location in Virginia, one in Massachusetts, that specializes in health and wellness, and recovery for addicts. They have placed over 5,000 people into treatment, 27 family online support groups a week. The program requires honesty, transparentness, and the ability to not break from the routine. A very inclusive approach that includes the whole dynamic of family & friends of the person in recovery.
He describes the involvement of their therapists, life coaches, and other medical staff when they are accepting a new addict for treatment. According to Chris, they are very involved in the recovery process, more so than similar programs. This is his new passion and new drive in his life & hopes to reach & help as many people as possible. 
This is Chris Herren in his own words, on Knockin’ Doorz Down.
For Carlos Vieira's autobiography Knockin' Doorz Down
https://www.kddmediacompany.com/
For 51FIFTY use the discount code KDD20 for 20% off!
https://51fiftyltm.com/
For more on the Knockin' Doorz Down podcast and to follow us on social media
https://www.kddmediacompany.com/podcast
For more information on the Carlos Vieira Foundation and the Race 2B Drug-Free, Race to End the Stigma, and Race For Autism programs visit:
https://www.carlosvieirafoundation.org/
For more on Chris Herren
https://herrentalks.com/

 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 hr 14 min