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.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom