From Harford County government:
As a high school basketball star turned point guard for the Boston Celtics, Chris Herren’s dreams of playing in the NBA had seemingly come true. In reality, Chris was trapped in a nightmare of addiction to alcohol, cocaine, OxyContin and heroin. Chris Herren’s descent into addiction, the loss of his career and his miraculous recovery is the subject of his book, “Basketball Junkie”, and the ESPN Films documentary “Unguarded”. Chris, who has been drug and alcohol-free since August 1, 2008, will share his inspiring story in person at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18, at The John Carrol School, 703 Churchville Road in Bel Air. This free presentation entitled “Rebound” is open to the public and hosted by the Harford County Community Services Office of Drug Control Policy in partnership with the Nikki Perlow Foundation.
“Chris Herren is living proof that addiction can strike anyone, but there is hope, and healing is possible,” said County Executive Barry Glassman. “I encourage all citizens to attend this free presentation so that we can learn from Chris’ victory in the battle against substance abuse.”
Space is limited and registration is strongly encouraged to ensure available seating. To register, email odcp@harfordcountymd.gov or call 410-638-3389.
The Nikki Perlow Foundation offers aid to young adults and their families struggling with drug addiction and recovery by providing financial, logistical and emotional support throughout their journey.
The Harford County Community Services Office of Drug Control Policy is the leading substance abuse prevention agency in Harford County. If you or someone you know needs help with addiction, please call 410-638-3333.
This is a truly inspirational story. “Unguared” is a good documentary. It is worth checking out if his talk is like the documentary.
Further proof that there are differentiated rules for some drug addicts that come from nice homes and others that don’t. He should be spending time in prision!!!!!
These folks are criminals. Enough with the fake pitty crap. Just because the users come from upper middle class families doesn’t change that fact. Somehow it seems we are changing how we treat them.
Being addicted is a disease not a crime asshole.
Last I checked possession, use or distribution of Herroin or other drugs is a crime. The addict is not a victim the are a criminal!
Your ability to read and write is criminal.
That’s a large portion of the problem, treating them as criminals. Until the Government starts to understand that mental health and addiction go hand in hand. If a person goes to the ER because they are sick “withdraw” they are treated like second class citizens and don’t want anything to do with them and send them on there way. So if your sick do to withdraw and you don’t get much help from the ER than you will do what you have to do to get well.
If they really do what they have to do to get well, does that mean they go cold turkey? Otherwise they are not getting well, they only feel better for a short period of time.
Execute ALL drug dealers !!!!!
Cdev, your post is wrong on so many levels. First of all, addiction isn’t a crime. It has been treated as such forever in this country; and look how well that is working.
I assume you are not a doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, parent of an addict, or anything besides an ignorant prick who doesn’t know shit about addiction. The American Medical Association as well as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) recognize it as a disease. It needs to be treated as such.
In addition, if you took 2 seconds to look up Chris Herren, you would see he did not come from an upper middle class upbringing. He came from a working class family in hard neighborhood. He was good at basketball. It got him out. But addiction ultimately won and destroyed his life. He recovered and now is trying to educate and make a difference and save lives. But, sure Cdev, he should be in jail.
I am stupid for even trying to argue this point on the Dagger. I am sure like-minded, caveman ignorant keyboard warriors will rush to your defense.
Thank you for replying to this completely uneducated douchewads post . I wanted to but couldn’t figure out a way to be nice about it .. I’ve been clean two years now & nothing aggravates me more then someone who is completely uneducated about addiction running their flapper spewing stupidity ! #EndTheStigma
Congrats, keep it up! Recently 1 year sober.
Congrats on being clean but when you used drugs you committed a crime! My point is this AMA crap didn’t because me a thing until it was rich suburban kids getting hooked. When it was poor kids and urban kids no one cared. It still is that way. A heroine addict in Fallston seems to be treated differently than a heroine addict in Baltimore!
and whites are treated differently in Sandtown than blacks
and blacks are treated differently in Ruxton than whites
your point is what exacty
Daggerpress user, “Cdev” Do you care to explain that seemingly racist comment? No, I’m not a “race baiter.”
I would like cited examples of how individuals facing addiction of “heroine” are treated differently in Baltimore City as opposed to unincorporated Fallston in Harford County?
It’s obvious that Baltimore City residents face a greater addiction problem, as my guess, residents who are unemployed, receiving some form of .gov money outnumber tax paying, employed residents 3 to 1. So yes, there is a “social” and “economic” difference in comparison to the “suburbs” in Fallston where addiction falls on those who once had good family unit, religion, integrity, morals.
This state waste so much money in Baltimore City and gets nowhere it’s near criminal in itself. LOL
Equalizer,
I never said anything about race! It is socio-economic hypocrisy which is my point. Poor Urban kids, which are disproportiontly black but not all black, are treated very differently than their Sub-urban wealthier peers.
Here is a specific example. Freddie Grey, whom had the same issues as one Kyle Reddish was treated very differently by the system for the same behavior. One is now dead and had been carted off to prison several times. The other has yet to actually be sentenced for his crimes and instead gets to finish college, spend time in really nice rehab facilities and generally avoid any consequences for his actions despite his constant reusing.
As evidenced here we have several former users who don’t see their drug use as criminal despite it being a felony. No doubt they avoided spending time in prision as well which is why they don’t think of them selves as felons but rather “victims” The sad thing is they get to vote in some cases even though their peers in the city don’t get to vote because of their felony convictions! Posters such as Courtney, Scum, Frank, AM and Elizabeth don’t even think that it is criminal, it is. They find it easier to blame others for their problems.
This is the Hypocrisy I speak of. It is not racist! I understand it may touch a nerve in some to have to accept the fact that they are getting special treatment but they are and need to own up.
So now I ask you which is more criminal the single mother of three in the city getting WIC benefits trying to get by or the person shooting up Heroine in a park on 152 and Reckord Road?
Truthfully, I think the person using heroin in the park on Rt 152 is the guiltier party. That person has opportunities not readily available to a single mother on welfare.
Even though the mother is committing a double crime with heroin and child endangerment, she can be helped if she wants to go after it. She can get an education and get a job (maybe) that will get her off welfare and into a better environment where she and her child are not living in downtown dope central.
The person on RT 162 probably has the resources (if he can afford a heroine habit, he has gets a lot of money from somewhere) to get off heroin, get an education, and become a useful member of society and do it without the shame, criminal charges and bureaucracy bulls**t that she will go through to get the help she needs on the public nickel. She also runs the risk of loosing custody of her child to the foster system (which I understand is it’s own brand of hell).
Therefore, I think the mother will endure a much worse recovery than the person at the park. I also believe the mother will experience more time in prison than the park person. She also stands to loose her child. The person in the park most likely has family that would care for any children belonging to the park user.
All in all I think the mother will pay a higher price for using heroin than the person in the park. But she is guilty of child endangerment (or something) and this is a crime the park user may not be guilty of.
I could go on and on about the evils of exposing a child to the drug environment, but I’ll save that for another article.
Daggerpress user “Cdev”
I believe you to be a racist. I will NOT be replying (see;wasting my time) to you.
Have a good day.
Miss Print,
Perhaps you misunderstood; or maybe I did. The contention was a person on welfare is criminal. Not a drug user on welfare. If the person is just on welfare that is not on par with the upitey Heroine Addict. I do agree if they are doing both than that is an issue.
That said average mom in the city on welfare is not a drug addict as studies have shown and she is far less of a free loader than the rich kid who is getting off for his criminal behavior!
Equalizer,
I am sorry you chose not to participate in the debate.
I agree whole heartedly.
I did misunderstand. I thought the mother was also a user. If she is just a single mother trying to make ends meet and raise her child with the meager resources allowed to people in her situation then, what she needs help and understanding – not some racists crap about … whatever he was complaining about..
I do not envy any young woman trying to raise a child on her own. I admire her determination to succeed whatever her financial situation is.
A society that does not look out for members in need is not a society at all. It is grab what you can and to hell with everyone else anarchy. I am glad I live in a country where young mothers on their own can get assistance to help feed her young.
I bitch about the tax and unfunded entitlements, but come up short when confronted by those who need it. Want and need are very ugly things.
If the gentleman’s argument is about how his taxes are spent, he needs to look into unfunded, unnecessary, illegal wars that eat up way more of the tax dollar than programs to feed young children. If he truly hates the woman because of her circumstances, maybe he should try to walk a few miles in her shoes and then maybe he will reevaluate his priorities .
I find it amusing that “The Equalizer” has determined “CDEV” is racist when “CDEV” merely calls for everyone to be treated as equals while “The Equalizer” feels that “It’s obvious that Baltimore City residents face a greater addiction problem,…” as if somehow they’re inherently less able to tell right from wrong and possess less will power or intellect than others… I find THAT remarkably racist and condescending.
Drug markets are found where the residents allow them to operate. One of the reasons why there are no open drug markets in my neighborhood is that my neighbors will not tolerate them. They call the police when they see illegal activity occurring.
They stay informed. One street I lived on, a cul de sac, had a very nice house in a wooded area opening in the back on a lovely pasture.
One day, a neighbor told me about a zoning change request on that house. The new residents wanted to open a one chair beauty salon. The neighbor also told me that these people had opened a one chair beauty salon in their last house. They used this one chair beauty salon as a cover for an illegal cocaine operation. They were under investigation by the FBI ad DEA when they sold out that house and bought the house at the end of my street. The neighbor knew this because she had family living on the street where they opened the salon.
She then told me that there was going to be a zoning hearing on this property in a few days.
My husband attended this meeting because he wanted to go on record that he didn’t want the zoning change because it would an establish a precedent. He told me that there was a large turnout for this meeting with everyone going on record against the zoning change that would allow this salon to operate. Some even stated that they knew of illegal activities in their previous residence and that the FBI and DEA were involved in the investigation.
The ruling was against the zoning change and the new residents moved to greener pastures for their activities.
So it is possible to run the drug pushers out of a neighborhood if the majority of the residents won’t allow it.
I never mentioned in my post I wasn’t being condescending, intolerant or ignorant.
I just not wished to further debate.
Want to get trolled some more, little doggie?
Cdev get a clue. Your ignorance is evident.
Chris Herren’s story is very worth listening to. I have nothing but enormous respect and admiration for him for coming to terms with the life that set him on the road to addition.
Pushing the human body to achieve beyond reasonable limits that is de rigueur for professional athletes wanting to excel in their career, causes such levels of physical pain that quick, easy, effective ways to relieve the suffering and allow them to continue to overextend their bodies are considered just a cost of doing business..
Mr. Herren can be forgiven for the destructive path he chose, but he must be respected for finding his way off of this dark path and onto a more life-affirming one. Even though his dark path brought him into the criminal world, selflessly working to help others avoid his mistakes and find a more enlightened way makes him a real life hero.
As an alcoholic who has been sober for almost five years I can tell you that the shame and guilt for all of the things I did to my family, friends, and myself was an still is a kind of prison itself. Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a disease that I didn’t ask for. I never said “hey, I want to be an alcoholic and destroy everything in my life.” If you aren’t an addict/alcoholic and you don’t have anyone you love that is in your life then your comments don’t mean shit. It is a lonely, terrible thing and I don’t wish it upon anyone. It is not easy to stand up, humble yourself and admit to anyone, especially the public, the things you have done while in active addiction. But then to take that experience and use it to help others suffering is one of the most altruistic (that means unselfish to those uneducated that are reading) things one can do. Putting one’s hand out to others to help end their suffering is commendable and I wish more people had the nerve to do it.
Elizabeth,
Thank you for sharing this. You said it much better than I could ever hope to. You are to be lauded for finding your way out of a terrible dark path and onto another enlightened way. And to use your experience to help another does make you a hero in my eyes.
Again, thank you.