Wasim Akram admits he was addicted to cocaine post-retirement

Newswire

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram admitted in his autobiography Sultan: A Memoir that he became addicted to cocaine after retiring from international cricket. Additionally, Akram claimed that he began using cocaine as “a substitute for the adrenaline rush of competition” of playing cricket.

The 56-year-old, who had 916 wickets in international play, hung up his boots in May 2003 after Pakistan did poorly in the 50-over World Cup. After retiring from the game, he went on to work as a coach and a commentator.

“I liked to indulge myself; I liked to party. The culture of fame in south Asia is all-consuming, seductive, and corrupting. You can go to ten parties a night, and some do. And it took its toll on me. My devices turned into vices. Worst of all, I developed a cocaine dependence. It started innocuously enough when I was offered a line at a party in England; my use grew steadily more serious, to the point that I felt I needed it to function,” as per extracts from his autobiography, published in an interview.

Akram’s first wife, Huma, eventually discovered his addiction and responded by saying, “You need treatment.” The former Pakistani cricketer also discussed how drugs affected him as a person and caused him to ignore his diabetic problem. “It made me agitated. It caused me to be deceitful. I know Huma was often lonely during this time… she talked of wanting to move to Karachi to be closer to her parents and siblings. I was hesitant. Why? Partly because I like coming to Karachi on my own and pretending it was working when it was really about partying for days on end.

“Huma eventually found me out, discovering a packet of cocaine in my wallet . . . ‘You need help.’ I agreed. It was getting out of hand. I couldn’t control it. One line would become two; two would become four; four would become a gram, and a gram would become two. I could not sleep. I could not eat. I grew inattentive to my diabetes, which caused me headaches and mood swings. Like many addicts, part of me welcomed discovery: the secrecy had been exhausting.”

Akram then went to rehab, but it was a negative experience for him, and he began using the chemical again during the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy. “Movies portray rehab as a caring, nurturing environment, but this facility was brutal: an empty building with five cells, a meeting room, and a kitchen. The doctor was a complete con man who worked primarily on manipulating families rather than treating patients and separating relatives from money rather than drug users.”

“Try as I might, part of me was still smoldering inside about the indignity of what I’d been put through. My pride was hurt, and the lure of my lifestyle remained. I briefly contemplated divorce. I settled for heading to the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy where, out from Huma’s daily scrutiny, I started using again,” he added.

After Huma died in October 2009 from a rare fungal condition called mucormycosis, Akram noticed that his addiction had disappeared. “Huma’s last selfless, unconscious act was curing me of my drug problem. That way of life was over, and I have never looked back.”