Cherry Hill Township, Nov. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cherry Hill Township, New Jersey –
Cherry Hill Recovery Center, based in Cherry Hill, NJ, is expressing support for former Philadelphia Flyers player Chris Therien’s mission to help people recover from drug and alcohol addiction. A hockey superstar who caught hearts and minds during his time on the ice, Therien has now dedicated himself to helping athletes overcome addiction and take back their lives.
Many who watched Therien’s career, which ran roughly from the mid 90s to the mid aughts, may not have realized that his domination as a professional athlete was not always reflective of his personal life. To this day, he is extremely open about the lessons he learned as a player, lessons which taught him discipline and perseverance and gave him the strength to seek professional help. This is similar to how many others find the courage to go to rehab for addiction. However, he is also open about the fact that his life and career today come on the heels of a once tumultuous period that was nearly overtaken by alcohol abuse.
As organizations like Cherry Hill Recovery Center and others are all too aware, this story will resonate with many people, especially athletes who constantly feel as if they are under immense pressure to perform and maintain themselves at an unsustainable peak. Therien says he began drinking to ease this pressure himself, an action which eventually became a self-medicating habit that was present in every aspect of his life. He also says that it is crucial for society as a whole to do away with the stigma of acknowledging such issues since they can act as barriers for those who want to seek help.
An athlete may resort to substance use of some kind as a means of coping with stress, but this can spiral into dependency and abuse. It is also tempting to forget that athletes are still people with their own lives and vulnerabilities, and their desire to maintain this image (particularly under a fear of public backlash) can push them further into isolation.
Cherry Hill Recovery Center commends Chris Therien for his willingness to share his story and help reduce the stigma around alcoholism, addiction and other forms of dependence. He has also been generous about sharing the lessons he learned through his struggles, often visiting colleges and universities to help amateur athletes recognize whether they or their peers need help.
Those who are approached with an interventionist attitude, where compassion, trust and support play a major role, are more likely to react positively than if they were to feel judged, mocked or otherwise ostracized for their difficulties. Therien himself also makes the case that any individual who is dealing with an addiction should make a similar effort to be kind to themselves.
A person dealing with an addiction should recognize that they deserve to get better, to live without the shadow of their addiction hanging over their lives. It is good to seek help, but they should also understand that they should fight the hardest for themselves — fight to stay sober and accept all the support their friends and family can give them. Similarly, setbacks can and will happen, but they should never give up on themselves. However long the journey to sobriety may appear, Therien and many others agree the results are always worth the effort.
Therien’s biggest lesson is evident in his own life. Having taken the steps he needed to achieve lasting sobriety, he has made it his mission to share what he went through in a bid to help others understand that they are not alone and they have everything to gain by seeking assistance. Such acts can further help reduce the stigma associated with addiction and give people the room they need to accept help.
Cherry Hill Recovery Center is formally reaching out to athletes and others who wish to take their lives back from addiction. The organization offers a number of resources for people in need as well as their support networks, including information on detox for alcohol, cocaine, fentanyl and more. Anyone may call the team at Cherry Hill Recovery Center to start their road to recovery today.
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For more information about Cherry Hill Recovery Center, contact the company here:
Cherry Hill Recovery Center
Brandt Norton
856-200-3127
info@cherryhillrecoverycenter.com
1930 Marlton Pike E.
Suite U100
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
