Former NBA Player Struggled 14 Years With Drug Addiction

Chris Herren, former Boston Celtics NBA player, struggled with drug addiction for 14 years and had many low points in his NBA career. The former star now admits all 14 years were a “rock bottom” for him, according to a recent news article. Herren was one of the most anticipated basketball players to enter college his freshman year at Boston College (BC). Unfortunately, he left BC after just one game because he tested positive for cocaine. Perhaps, one of his lowest points was the year his mother died. Herren had to shoot heroin right before his mother’s funeral. Another low was leaving his wife and newborn in the hospital so he could go get drunk and once even had to be brought back alive after a drug overdose. He has now been sober for three and a half years and looks back at his darkest moments with honesty and gratefulness. Herren admits now that the overdose that almost killed him was a blessing. Although Herren says no one ever came out and told him he was a junkie he knew it and used to tell himself that he wasn’t any good constantly. Unless, you have the best insurance you will only get little more than a week of treatment and that just isn’t enough. Herren admitted he knew his treatment would take more than ten days to come clean after ten years of drugging and that he could not overcome his addiction alone. Friend and former NBA mentor Chris Mullin is a recovering alcoholic and arranged for him to spend nine months sobering up with intense rehab that he knew was badly needed. Mullin came to Herren’s aide to give him just the assist he needed to save his life. Herren launched the Herren Project in 2011 to help others with the addiction treatment they need and to provide others with the help that Mullin so graciously offered him. He has already helped over 100 addicts.