On Monday, January 8, former NBA player and Durfee High School graduate Chris Herren gave a speech that made the Somerset Berkley Regional High School gymnasium silent.

“Everybody thinks this talk is about drugs and alcohol,” Herren said. “It’s about so much more than that.”

His speech was also about family, self-esteem, self-worth, and empathy.

The presentation began with a documentary about Herren, depicting his life and history.

“Everybody talks about the worst day and not the first day,” Herren said.

He attended Boston College but was expelled from both the basketball team and the university after failing three drug tests for cocaine and marijuana usage.

Herren transferred to Fresno State University where he failed another drug test and was sent to rehabilitation for 28 days. Eventually, he was allowed to rejoin the team.

He entered the NBA draft and was selected by the Denver Nuggets. Later, he was traded to the Boston Celtics. While playing for the Celtics, Herren began using Oxycontin, Vicodin, and Percocet.

“My goal was to wean myself off but that goal was never met,” Herren said.

In 2004, he was charged with possession of heroin in a Dunkin Donuts parking lot in Portsmouth, RI. Later, in Fall River, Herren overdosed on heroin and crashed into a utility pole, killing him for 30 seconds before being revived by first responders. In all, he has had four overdoses.

Herren said he never paid attention during drug presentations that he was forced to sit through when he was in school because he thought he would “never be that guy.” He said he wishes someone talked some sense into him in high school; he could have had it all.

Since then, Herren has completed multiple rehabilitation programs and has been sober since 2008. He began traveling across the country as a motivational speaker seven years ago.

“I think his speech was really moving and all of the different stories he told were really influential because it gave me a different insight to why people do drugs,” Catherine Botelho, a senior at SBRHS, said.

In Herren’s speech, he provided anecdotes of people’s lives he had touched while being a motivational speaker as well as stories that proved the detrimental effects of drugs and alcohol on individuals to teach SBRHS students about empathy.

One anecdote that Herren shared was that he met a girl at a high school who raised her hand to ask him a question but he did not get to her, so he tried to approach her after he finished but was unable to. Herren soon learned that the girl was made fun of by her peers.

However, Herren emphasized the importance of empathy, for her father was an alcoholic and her mother was suffering from depression. One never really knows what someone else is going through and therefore should focus on spreading love and kindness instead of hate.

“Unlike other drug presentations we’ve heard in the past, this one didn’t focus so much on drugs because we’ve heard it all before,” Olivia Lucianno, a senior at SBRHS, said. “He focused on the stories of other kids and he said that it was about self-esteem and confidence, and I think that’s right because it taught kids to be more empathetic towards others.”

Herren said that it is unfortunate that kids are now growing up in a society that glorifies drugs. He also commended the kids who have had the courage to not bend to peer pressure.

“To me, there’s nothing stronger than a kid who walks that path and doesn’t have to change,” Herren said.

In 2011, he began the Herren Project to provide information on the dangers of addiction and guidance on how to live a sober life.

“I truly believe in my heart that that has made a difference,” Herren said.

He has also founded a non-profit organization called Project Purple, whose goal is to empower youth to make a difference to end addiction, bring awareness to the dangers of drug use, and to encourage people to make positive decisions.

The inspiration for Project Purple came from a group of students that were wearing purple shirts during one of Herren’s motivational speeches. After Herren completed telling a story, one of the students in purple stood up and thanked Herren, saying that they were the sober kids in the school who took a pledge each year to refuse drugs and alcohol.

“Every kid in this gym has a teacher or a counselor that would go above and beyond for you,” Herren said. “They just need to find out who you really are.”

He encouraged students to take action against drug use. “Today is a chance to walk out of the gym and look at the person you’ve become,” Herren said.

At the end of his speech, there was a question and answer session. Several students even left their seats to talk to him. One student, brought to tears by the emotional speech, approached Herren and hugged him, causing the gymnasium to subsequently errupt into applause.

“I just pray that I made a difference in someone’s life today,” Herren said.