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.