One Mother’s Crusade against Drug Abuse

The shattering experience of losing her son to cocaine abuse pushed Lonise Bias into the arena of public speaking. At high schools, colleges, and public auditoriums across the country, she delivers a stirring message of family togetherness, love, and mutual encouragement, and a stem warning about the realities of drug abuse. Her son, college basketball star Len Bias, captured national headlines last year when he became the top draft pick by the Boston Celtics. Days after the announcement, Len died at his University of Maryland dormitory following an overdose of cocaine. CHRISTIANITY TODAY asked Lonise Bias to explain the message she takes across the country and the spiritual motivation behind it.

What is your primary message to young people?

I tell them what we all need to do is go back into our homes, get back into our families, and get back to the basics of loving. Children are our future. I tell young people, “We have no future if you are having babies at 12, 13, 14 years old; we have no future if all of our men are locked up or using or selling drugs.

“You’re sitting here looking at Mrs. Bias and all the teachers and principals and counselors and guides and aides—that’s you ten years from now. You will hold these positions. But if you have no values, if you do not love yourself and love your fellow man, who will do these jobs?” Many of them have never thought about that.

Why do young people begin using drugs?

I used to think they were using drugs because of peer pressure and for recreational use. But once I started speaking to young people, they told me many of them use drugs because they cannot cope. I ask them what they mean by that, and they say, “Well, my mom and I don’t get along,” or “My mom and dad are divorced.”

Parents who couldn’t cope with each other are expecting children to be able to cope. We need families where the children can see the mom and dad trying to do their best, and the young people will emulate the parents.

Do they understand how your message is related to Len’s death?

Many people question whether I can tell them anything since my own son died of drugs. But I know the Lord and Savior I trust in, and I know Len Bias had to go. God had to take something very special to get everyone’s attention to what was happening around us. I tell them not to keep focusing on cocaine and Len Bias. His mission is accomplished. We have to learn a lesson from it—we must learn to love one another.

How did you become aware of your gifts as a public speaker?

God spoke to my heart a long time ago and told me I would teach. But I had no idea of the price that would be paid. I had a burning desire to teach, and I thought I would be teaching Sunday school or a Bible study. I never thought it would be anything of the magnitude it is now. Everything I have done has come out of the one-on-one relationship I have with Christ Jesus. That is how I am able to get up and speak. I don’t have to have anything written down, the Lord brings it forth.

Has it been difficult to assume this public role in the midst of your grief about Len?

The Lord said in his Word, “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). We still have our moments where we miss Len and wish we could see him or talk with him. But I’m not working out of grief. I have sheer joy in whatever I do.

Has your new visibility given you a better understanding of the pressure Len faced?

Oh, yes. I thought I had an idea of what Len was going through, but I didn’t know the magnitude of the pressure. You see people struggling through college even without extracurricular activities. When you give them academics and then add sports and put them in the limelight, they are in the midst of a struggle.

Do Christian parents tend to think their children will not resort to drugs under pressure?

They do, to a degree. And when it happens, they think they’ve done something wrong. But God has shown me we are going to go through tribulation. The Scripture I use most often is Peter getting out of the boat on the Sea of Galilee to walk to Jesus (Matt. 14:28–31). Jesus was showing us there are times when you have to walk on the water. And the only way you can get across is by looking at Jesus and nothing else, because the storm is going to come.

I used to think if you lived right, if you obeyed God and tried to do your best, he would protect you and nothing bad would happen to you. But God says, “Think it not strange the fiery trials that beset you” (1 Peter 4:12). If you don’t go through anything, you’re not going to gain anything. Anybody can have faith in good times. But God is looking for people who can stand up in the midst of adversity and still praise and glorify him.

How do you feel when you hear from someone who has stopped using drugs?

A couple of months ago an airline stewardess told me if it had not been for Len Bias, she would still be doing drugs. She now lives a drug-free life and has turned her life over to Christ. That makes me feel great.

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