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“What I see in this room is a lot of hope and dreams,” former Philadelphia Phillies right-handed relief pitcher Fletcher continued. “I was once in that same seat, dreaming of becoming a professional baseball player, and I worked hard to make that happen. What I didn’t do with much success was adjust to life when my playing days were over. When I was in baseball, I was full of pride and self-esteem and self-worth. When I retired, I lost my identity and turned to alcohol, which filled me with self-hate, self-doubt, embarrassment and shame.”
As Fletcher recounted, he practiced drinking with the same fervor that he had practiced baseball, and the outcome was a series of failed jobs, a failed marriage and a suicide attempt.
“Isolation and silence will kill you,” Fletcher said. “Staying in your own head is the worst place to be. Find a coach, a counselor, a teacher or a friend and ask for help before you head down the wrong road.”
Johnson echoed the advice as he shared his painful childhood memories when he turned to sports to escape an abusive, alcoholic father and a chaotic home life. Gifted with remarkable athletic abilities, Johnson was the second pick of the second round of the 1985 NFL draft and spent 10 years as a wide receiver with the Denver Broncos, making three Super Bowl appearances. Once the fastest player in the NFL, his descent was equally as fast when he, too, turned to alcohol and drugs, crippled by the effects of childhood trauma that he had never dealt with.
“I used sports to get away from my father,” Johnson said. “I didn’t want to be anything like him, but I didn’t know where to put this pain that I had, so I starting drinking before games, taking pills after games, chasing after women, being abusive. I had become my father.”
When his 19-year-old son was ironically and tragically killed by a drunk driver, Johnson coped by drinking himself into a coma, where he remained, chained to a bed, for 26 days.
“I tell you these very personal things because I don’t want you to grow up and be like me,” he said. “I don’t want the females in this audience to be with a guy like me. I was married seven times before I finally got help. My whole life is about recovery. My goal is to stay sober for the rest of my life, and to touch as many young lives as I can so you can all get educated about addiction. You are champions. You are winners. Don’t let addiction change that.”
Both Johnson and Fletcher work full-time at Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches and share their stories of recovery throughout the country. Their visit was arranged by Washington Township Student Assistance Counselor Mike Petticrew.
Former Professional Athletes Paul Fletcher and Vance Johnson Share Perils of Substance Abuse with WTHS Student-Athletes
“Good afternoon. My name is Paul Fletcher, and I am an alcoholic.” The introduction opened a powerful assembly on September 21st with Washington Township High School student-athletes who spent the next hour learning about the havoc that drugs and alcohol had reeked on the formerly successful lives of Fletcher and NFL standout Vance Johnson.
“What I see in this room is a lot of hope and dreams,” former Philadelphia Phillies right-handed relief pitcher Fletcher continued. “I was once in that same seat, dreaming of becoming a professional baseball player, and I worked hard to make that happen. What I didn’t do with much success was adjust to life when my playing days were over. When I was in baseball, I was full of pride and self-esteem and self-worth. When I retired, I lost my identity and turned to alcohol, which filled me with self-hate, self-doubt, embarrassment and shame.”
As Fletcher recounted, he practiced drinking with the same fervor that he had practiced baseball, and the outcome was a series of failed jobs, a failed marriage and a suicide attempt.
“Isolation and silence will kill you,” Fletcher said. “Staying in your own head is the worst place to be. Find a coach, a counselor, a teacher or a friend and ask for help before you head down the wrong road.”
Johnson echoed the advice as he shared his painful childhood memories when he turned to sports to escape an abusive, alcoholic father and a chaotic home life. Gifted with remarkable athletic abilities, Johnson was the second pick of the second round of the 1985 NFL draft and spent 10 years as a wide receiver with the Denver Broncos, making three Super Bowl appearances. Once the fastest player in the NFL, his descent was equally as fast when he, too, turned to alcohol and drugs, crippled by the effects of childhood trauma that he had never dealt with.
“I used sports to get away from my father,” Johnson said. “I didn’t want to be anything like him, but I didn’t know where to put this pain that I had, so I starting drinking before games, taking pills after games, chasing after women, being abusive. I had become my father.”
When his 19-year-old son was ironically and tragically killed by a drunk driver, Johnson coped by drinking himself into a coma, where he remained, chained to a bed, for 26 days.
“I tell you these very personal things because I don’t want you to grow up and be like me,” he said. “I don’t want the females in this audience to be with a guy like me. I was married seven times before I finally got help. My whole life is about recovery. My goal is to stay sober for the rest of my life, and to touch as many young lives as I can so you can all get educated about addiction. You are champions. You are winners. Don’t let addiction change that.”
Both Johnson and Fletcher work full-time at Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches and share their stories of recovery throughout the country. Their visit was arranged by Washington Township Student Assistance Counselor Mike Petticrew.