Wasim Akram talks about his cocaine addiction in upcoming autobiography
Wasim Akram has chosen to write it all down about his post retirement cocaine addiction in his upcoming memoir Sultan: A Memoir. Even when the subject is as sensitive as overcoming a cocaine addiction, he wants to be able to express his side of the story just for the sake of his children.
After 18 years of international competition, the former cricket player retired in 2003. He continued to be involved with cricket, though; he changed careers to become a coach and commentator. He kept taking jobs that required him to traverse the globe. The cocaine habit, according to ESPN, began after his retirement when he began to yearn for “a substitute for the adrenaline rush of competition,” and it ended in 2009 with the passing of his first wife Huma.
In his book and in an interview with The Times, Akram was forthright about the subject. He remarked, “I liked to indulge myself; I liked to party,” he further wrote. “The culture of fame in south Asia is all consuming, seductive and corrupting. You can go to 10 parties a night, and some do. And it took its toll on me. My devices turned into vices.”
“Worst of all, I developed a dependence on cocaine. 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”, he told.
Wasim Akram talks about his cocaine addiction in upcoming autobiography
Using cocaine, according to Akram, rendered him “volatile” and “deceptive.” He thought Huma, his wife at the time, experienced loneliness frequently. “She would talk of her desire to move to Karachi, to be nearer her parents and siblings. I was reluctant. Why? Partly because I liked going to Karachi on my own, pretending it was work when it was actually about partying, often for days at a time.”
She eventually learned about his drug use after finding a package of cocaine in his wallet. “You need help. I agreed. It was out of control. I was unable to stop it. One line would multiply by two, which would then multiply by four, which would multiply by one, which would multiply by two. I had trouble falling asleep. I was unable to eat. I lost track of my diabetes, which led to migraines and mood changes in me. Like many addicts, a part of me welcomed the revelation because the secrecy had been draining”, he added.
Akram sought help and entered rehab, but the experience was horrible. He claimed that the doctor was a “complete conman” who focused more on manipulating families than on treating patients, and on separating family from money than on removing drug users from their supplies. In the end, the commentator relapsed.
“Try as I might, part of me was still smouldering 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 under Huma’s daily scrutiny, I started using again,” he said.
After Huma passed away in October 2009 from a rare fungus infection called mucormycosis, things changed. Akram gave up cocaine use.
Three children—two sons from his first marriage and a daughter from his second—were born to the former cricketer and Shaniera Akram after their 2013 wedding. According to what he told The Times, he authored his book for his kids.
“I’m a bit anxious about the book,”, “but I think once it is out, I’ll be kind of over it. I’m anxious because at my age, I’m 56 and I’ve been diabetic for 25 years, it is just stress, you know… it was tough to revisit all the things. I’ve done it for my two boys, who are 25 and 21, and my seven-year-old daughter, just to put my side of the story” he concluded.
