Pubdate: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 Source: Beacon Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2006 Parry Sound North Star Contact: http://www.parrysoundbeaconstar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3695 Author: Stephannie Johnson Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) NFL STAR TO TALK DRUGS TO TEENS PARRY SOUND -- Former NFL all-star Alvin Powell, who's heading here next week to talk to local youth about drug abuse, says that it was the residual emotional pain left left by childhood sexual abuse that made him turn to drugs, destroying his football career and nearly himself as well. "I was a person in an extreme amount of pain," said Mr. Powell in a telephone interview with the Beacon Star from his Montreal office. "I had many issues. I always thought a man should handle his own problems, that he shouldn't go crying to people with his problems. "I was just putting a lot of my problems on the back shelf and it just got heavier and heavier, until it broke. I had a lot of emotional trauma and just didn't know how to deal with it." Next Tuesday, March 21, Mr. Powell is scheduled to make three appearances here to talk to local children and teens about his rise to fame, his fall from grace and his struggle back to life. He is to speak at William Beatty, at 9 a.m. and at Parry Sound High School at 12:40 p.m. and 7 p.m. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. Born and raised in Panama, in Central America, Mr. Powell moved to North Carolina. It was there, when he was 13 years old, that he became interested in sports, primarily football. He started smoking pot recreationally when he was 21 years old. Two years later, he began playing professional football with the Oklahoma Outlaws. "I was introduced to cocaine by a teammate in 1985 when I was playing for the Seattle Seahawks," he said. "It kind of scared me a bit, but I enjoyed it." Even though the experience frightened him, Mr. Powell said he began using the drug in moderation, "before it just got out of hand." He said the high he sustained when he snorted cocaine was indescribable, better than being a famous NFL player. "The reason you're not able to describe the feeling is because it comes from a place of darkness. I try to explain that sensation, but there's nothing I can equate it to," he said. "I've had my name called in a stadium full of 80,000 people, I've dunked a basketball to win a game, there's many different highs, but this high is set apart. The high is so high that the low is very low. It really psychologically puts you in a state where you want it, where you want to regain what you just came down from." Mr. Powell says he continued to use cocaine because it numbed all of the emotional pain stemming from the sexual abuse. "When I took cocaine, it really gave me the 'I don't give a st' feeling. So much so, that I didn't give a crap about myself or my family or anyone else. That's the power of it, you're so consumed with it that no one can stop you." By 1988, Mr. Powell was a full-blown addict. Unable to end his deadly dance with drugs at that time, he resigned from the Miami Dolphins. Shortly afterward, he went to Montreal, intending to end his life. "I came to Montreal to commit suicide. I had come here a few months before and I really enjoyed the area and nobody really knew me here. It just seemed like a good place to die," he said. "At one point, I was in a crack house and I had found a piece of paper about Narcotics Anonymous. It kind of got me into a clear state of mind. I called the number and I was on my way to recovery." Drug-free for more than 10 years now, Mr. Powell has dedicated his life to helping other addicts, and also tries to prevent curiosity about drugs from getting the better of kids and teens. "One of the processes that I went through in recovery was finding out that I had an inability to trust men or to open up and talk to people. That was something I had to learn how to do, and did it in groups. But the one thing I found was that not only did I speak well, but people actually listened," he said. "It became quite evident that all those experiences that I lived through, was what I needed to help others. I started working with addicts and I haven't stopped since." Each year, this father of three speaks at between 60 and 70 events. His fee is $900 per event. "This is exactly what I was made to do. It's what I do. It gives me a sense of purpose, it really does. My kids are fully aware of what I went through. They're extremely supportive, and if you mention doing drugs around them, they'd probably kill you," he said with a laugh. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom