LEWISTON, Maine — Former Boston Celtics player Chris Herren said he has struggled his whole career with substance abuse issues.
But he has since turned his life around and now speaks with students all over the world about how to live healthy, substance-free lives.
Herren spoke to about 1,500 students Friday at Lewiston High School regarding an issue they may see frequently.
“In our generation, people like to follow what other kids are doing, so when one kid does it, it turns into a group of kids doing it,” Emily Robert, a senior at the school, said.
Since 2009, Herren has spoken to more than a million students, sharing his message.
“In the past, I would just walk in and tell my story, but my story wasn't enough, and as a person who has the platform, I want kids to walk out of that presentation thinking about their story, not my story,” Herren said.
Herren said it starts with asking our youth why.
“Parents, when they catch kids doing drugs or drinking at a young age, it's like, 'Who are you with?' 'Where did you get it?' 'What did you do?' But they don't ask you why,” Herren said.
Alicia Escobar is the substance abuse counselor at Lewiston High School. She said it all starts with better education.
“It's within their communities, it's at home," Escobar said. "For some kids they can’t get away from it. We can't take drugs out of the community, but what we can do is teach the kids, and when you know better you do better.”
Herren said he shares his message 250 times a year because he said he would give anything to go back to 1994, sit in a gym, and listen to a speech like his.
“Every high school I walk into, emails will follow, and that is the goal for me, to create somebody's voice," Herren said.
“I hope Chris’s message kind of alludes to everyone here who is trying to better themselves. And like he said, it's about you. It's not about him. It's about you trying to fix your own problems," Daniel Chabot, a senior at LHS, said.
For students with big dreams, hearing a real story like Herren's could change a life.