Jensen visits LF to bring a message to kids about the toughest battles in life, and what they taught him

LITTLE FALLS, January 15, 2010 -- Years of addiction, despair and a lack of confidence finally led Richard Jensen to a breaking point where he knew things had to change in his life.

Now, at age 39, six years after he hit rock bottom and made that decision, he stood before students from both Little Falls Middle School and High School to make them see through the eyes of a former addict and learn vicariously through him.

"I come in as a motivational speaker with elements in my words important to all ages," he said before his presentation Thursday afternoon. "I can utilize what I know from my lifestyle to talk to a room full of adults, and they can walk away thinking hard. But I especially aim my talks at kids because I hope it helps them to be better people and make better choices."

The hallways throughout the schools were decorated with paintings and signs welcoming Jensen to the community. In the classroom, they sat and listened intently to his strong words and powerful voice. He told them the way it was, what it became and how he changed it.

An ex-con and a former addict, Jensen, of Portland, Oregon, battled with drugs from the age of 18 until the moment he stepped back into prison for the last time. On October 10, 2003, he stopped using methamphetamines and other drugs.

"I did drugs because I was happy, I did drugs because I was sad, I did drugs because I was down, because I was scared and because of the influence," Jensen told students. "When you find that you're stuck, you use for all reasons. It's a very dangerous thing."

He left prison in November of 2004 after losing his mother to cancer. He met a man named David Fitzgerald in the homeless shelter he was staying at. Also a recovering addict, Fitzgerald served both as a mentor for the Central City Concern recovery program and an inspiration to Jensen. It was the combination of hitting his lowest point  -- prison, his mother's death and half of his life battling drug addiction -- and meeting Fitzgerald that helped him get and stay clean.

"I found something that gave me hope in  my life," Jensen said. "There is no one event in particular, I just realized, Now the fight's on. Now's the time to start living."

After six months of treatment followed by a year in an adult sober-living facility, Jensen made the decision to enroll at Clackamas Community College. Shortly after that he tried out for the wrestling team.

"Everyone thought I was nuts," he said. "But I thought about the time I had already stayed sober, and how I'd stayed in school this time,-- Those are things that gave me confidence. I started wondering, What if? What if I had gone to college? What if I continued wrestling right after high school? I said to myself, 'I can't lose -- Let's just do it.' and it really filled that void I had. It was the most healing element I needed."

Jensen said he got beat up, lost a lot of matches and had to practice hard before he started winning matches. But he got to where he wanted to be, winning medals, awards and recognition. He competed in local, regional and even national championships during his span at college from 2006-2008.

"Through all of that," Jensen said, "I came to a realization that I have informationand an educational piece. Now, I'm basically an expert in addiction, convict criminal mentality and my life. If I sat at home on my hands with it, I would fail kids everyewhere. "

Jensen has been featured on ESPN and has his own website, www.lostdreamsawaken.org, where he shares his story in detail, as well as articles and news clips about him, and even showcases his accomplishments as a college wrestler. He resides in Portland, Oregon and has two children. He runs his own business for automotive repair, and also traavels all over the country as a motivational speaker.

Click here for ESPN video clip,"The Journey of Richard Jensen."

Click here for the ESPN video clip, "Getting Off the Mat."

Click here for Jensen's own story, photos, news articles, wrestling accomplishments and other information on his website, Lost Dreams Awaken.