Barnstable Hosts 'Prevention Starts With All' Presentation with Chris Herren

The Barnstable County Sheriff's Office hosted Chris Herren, a basketball legend, to present on his story about addiction.

The free event was held on Thursday in the Barnstable Performing Arts Center at the Barnstable High School and supported by State Representative Kip Diggs.

Chris Herren talked to an audience about his struggle with addiction.

Herren is a high school basketball legend from Fall River, Massachusetts, who scored over 2,000 career points while at Durfee High School, and was named to the 1994 McDonald’s All-American team.

Starting his collegiate career at Boston College, Chris transferred to Fresno State after several failed drug tests. He was named to the All-WAC (Western Athletic Conference) first team in 1996 and 1997 before announcing that he would miss part of the 97-98 season to seek treatment for an ongoing struggle with substance use disorder.

He later achieved his lifelong dream of playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) when he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 1999. He was traded to his hometown team, the Boston Celtics, in 2000.

With the unwavering support of his family and friends, Chris has been sober since August 1, 2008.

As Chris says, "ask your teenagers why they drink or do drugs. Why do they want to feel different? Look at that first day - what is the motivation to use substances. Look around! The "addict" could be you, me, your children or grandchildren. Ten percent of the population suffers from addiction. It’s a disease."

Learn more about Chris Herren's story: https://herrentalks.com/ https://herrenproject.org/