By Sarah Dugal
Last Thursday, New Canaan CARES hosted Chris Herren – a former professional basketball player, a highly-sought after voice on the topic of substance use prevention and a wellness advocate – at the New Canaan Library to discuss the risks of early substance use and the importance of judgment-free family conversations. As a community member who works with adolescents professionally through Young Life, as a volunteer at our church and as a Field Hockey Coach, I place a high importance on being well educated on how to best support students facing difficult choices daily when it comes to substance use. The conversation was everything I expected it to be – informative, engaging, compelling – but I was particularly struck by Chris’s answer to the last Q&A of the evening.
As Chris was wrapping up the conversation, an audience member asked about his morning routine: how does he start his day, and how does that routine keep him on track, after 17 years of being sober? His answer was simple. He starts his day, everyday, with his Faith.
While Faith can be a powerful force for individuals in a vast array of areas of their life, Chris’s answer brought to mind the work of Dr. Lisa Miller. If you’re not familiar, Dr. Miller is a Fairfield resident, professor, New York Times Bestselling Author, researcher and clinical psychologist who studies the impact of Spirituality on brain health, specifically as it relates to depression and substance abuse. In The Awakened Brain & The Spiritual Child, Dr. Miller shares the positive health implications of spirituality as observed through cutting-edge research, including from MRI studies to genetic research, epidemiology, and more.
In her work, Dr. Miller defines “spirituality” as our ability to experience a transcendent relationship with life, a sense of being loved, held, guided, and never alone. Her findings are stunning: adolescents / teens with strong personal spirituality are up to 75% less likely to experience clinical depression, and up to 80% less likely to develop substance abuse. To date, there is no other activity, drug or method correlated with the same protective benefits. To put it into perspective, the flu shot typically ranges from 40-60% preventative – and we see that as excellent. When it comes to prevention against substance abuse, faith can and does play a very real role in equipping teens with the kind of deeper purpose, value, meaning and belonging that helps them navigate these critical moments.
These findings are deeply meaningful in a place like New Canaan. In 2019, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine added youths in “high achieving schools” (HAS) to their list of “at-risk” groups, along with kids living in poverty and foster care, recent immigrants and those with incarcerated parents. While New Canaan students experience incredible opportunities afforded to them by attending the #1 school district in Connecticut, based on Niche’s 2025 Best Schools and Districts rankings, researchers have found that students at HAS exhibit much higher rates of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse as they seek to cope with an excessive pressure to excel.
However, the data also shows that there might be a disconnect between the prioritization of spirituality / faith life amongst students who may need it most. According to the work of Dr. Suniya Luthar, only 15% of students from highly resourced suburbs outside of New York City, San Francisco, and similar areas report that they have a personal spiritual identity or practice.
So what can we – as community members, parents, and friends – do to help to ensure students have opportunities to develop their faith / spiritual lives?
We might consider encouraging students to participate in the existing faith opportunities / spiritual practices that resonate with them – whether that’s through Church, Temple, or a walk in the woods. Those of us with influence over the scheduling of youth events might consider trying to avoid times of the week that largely overlap with faith services throughout our town, allowing families to prioritize their spiritual lives. We might also consider investing in more opportunities for students to participate in faith conversations, whether that’s through Young Life, FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), or Focus.
When I was in college at the University of Virginia, the academic rigor of my double-major resulted in many late nights of study and – honestly – some moments of sheer overwhelm. It was in a season of grappling with ways to manage the unrelenting stress that I memorized parts of Isaiah 43:1-5: “Do not be afraid… When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you…you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you… Do not be afraid, for I am with you,” (New Living Translation).
When I think about the impact these words of love, support and presence had on my life, I’m not surprised at all that Chris Herren ended the conversation with NC CARES by pointing others to the power of faith.
Sarah Dugal serves as the Area Director for Young Life in New Canaan. Young Life is a global, ecumenical non-profit that exists to reinforce that adolescents matter through relational youth ministry, creating approachable spaces for students to explore faith, and modeling servant leadership in local communities. To learn more, visit YoungLife.Org. To get involved in New Canaan, contact Sarah at newcanaanyl@gmail.com.
