Amid all of the discouraging headlines about pandemics and financial woes, it is nice to read about positivity; especially if it’s happening in the world of addiction treatment. And that just happens to be the case with former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Therien, who has channeled his fame and fandom into a new career as a recovery advocate.
Therien was recently profiled in The Philadelphia Inquirer for his outspokenness about his past addictions and the work that he’s doing now to help others. The piece starts off chronicling his decades-long battle with alcoholism; one which he kept hidden from the public and his fans.
Openly speaking about his past, Therien told The Inquirer that his days as a “social drinker” began back in college and escalated into full-blown alcoholism over the next two decades. During his final year as a Flyer, Therien claimed that alcohol had taken over his life and nearly cost him his family.
“My last year on the ice, I shouldn’t have even been playing hockey,” Therien told the site. “I should have been in a rehab. I got a concussion in January, and I ended up drinking. That was my lowest low and I thought I couldn’t get any lower. I was basically told to get out, that I couldn’t live like this.”
Not long after, Therien lost his sister to a heart attack; which sent him spiraling even deeper into his addictions. But about a month after that, he decided to check into a rehab facility and turn his life around.
The fact that he successfully made it through treatment and spoke out about his experiences is enough to make Therien deserve a Recovery Spotlight. But he has taken his passions one step further. Now Therien is opening his own recovery clinic in the heart of Philadelphia, which aims to help inner-city youth and young athletes get help with their substance abuse issues.
Limitless Recovery Center is Therien’s big new venture and he is an active participant in its day-to-day operations; serving as Chief Wellness Officer.
“The biggest reason I wanted to do this is because you see what kids go through in high school – especially with drugs and alcohol being so much more prevalent today,” Therien concluded. Trying to reach out to so many of these young kids and let them know, ‘Hey, this is what can happen if you choose the life of addiction.’ It’s not necessarily that you always choose it, but you get yourself entwined in a life of addiction. The wheels can come off pretty fast, and it’s a (difficult) road to get yourself back on track.”
And for that, we applaud all of Chris Therien’s continued efforts.
