A life reclaimed from a downward spiral of drugs: One who has been there speaks at the school

A man who has experienced the darkest, most bleak side of addiction visited the Shelter Island School last Wednesday, Nov. 13, to share his powerful story with students, faculty, and parents.

Richard Jensen’s presentation, part three of a three-part series funded by the Shelter Island Police Department in partnership with the school, aimed to raise awareness about the dangers of modern opioids.

Mr. Jensen lived a life much like many teens today — a young student-athlete with aspirations and goals.

He was a high school wrestler who dreamed of competing at the collegiate level. Leading up to graduation, he had never tried drugs or alcohol. But shortly after, he took his first dose of methamphetamine, and that was it, he was hooked.

His once-promising life spiraled downward into drugs, violence, homelessness, and eventually prison, all stemming from that one decision.

Mr. Jensen spent over 20 years battling addiction, much of it behind bars. Near the end of his sentence, he received another tragic blow, learning that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer. She passed away just a week before his release.

“I was addicted for 20 years, and I can’t get that time back … it’s gone,” he said. “Addiction wraps itself around you and slowly chips away at your self-esteem and meaning.”  

The series of opioid awareness presentations has addressed the devastating effects of opioids, the causes of addiction, and the challenges of breaking free from the compulsions — mental, physical and emotional — to use drugs.

Mr. Jensen’s story took an unexpected turn, he told the gathering, which impacted every part of his life.

A few years after his release, he enrolled as a 36-year-old freshman at an Oregon community college, hoping to join their wrestling team. “Wrestling gave me a purpose,” he said. “When I was in high school, it motivated me and kept me on the right track. I hoped coming back to the sport would help me stay sober and get my life back on track.”

Wrestling did just that. In his first year, he made the team and won two matches. By his second year, he had improved enough to qualify for a National Championship. Though he didn’t win that year, he persevered and finally won a national title in 2016, competing against top athletes who were half his age.

Today, Mr. Jensen is a motivational speaker, a husband, a father, and a coach for junior wrestlers, and celebrates 21 years of sobriety.

While his resilience and dedication turned his life around, he emphasized the cost of his mistakes.

“The best decision I ever made was becoming sober. Once you’re addicted, it’s not hard to get clean — it’s staying clean that’s hard,” he explained.

Modern opioids, compared to the drugs available while he was still in high school, are much more addictive, and much more deadly. He credits everything he has today to his sobriety.

After his presentation, Mr. Jensen said, “I’ve been taught different strategies for presenting and having high-level conversations with kids, but none of that is needed. We’re just talking about life — my life and theirs — and how similar they are. It takes just one bad choice to fall onto the 20-year road I fell onto.”

He added, “To be able to take something so dark and turn it into something inspiring is incredibly rewarding for me. If I can get just one kid to think twice about using drugs, it’s a massive win for them, their parents, their loved ones, and everyone who cares about them. Addiction doesn’t just affect the addicted, it affects everyone around them. It all comes down to the first decision to use drugs, and anything I can do to prevent that is worthwhile.”