'I was hurting my late wife a lot' - Wasim Akram opens up on his cocaine addiction and his stay in rehab centre

Wasim Akram opens up on his cocaine addiction and his stay in rehab centre (Image Source: Twitter)

Wasim Akram, the former Pakistani cricketer, revealed that he was addicted to cocaine and said that he had to spend two and a half months in a rehab centre when things got out of hand and his wife eventually found out the same.

Giving a few excerpts about his autobiography, Sultan: A Memoir, Akram cleared the air over his cocaine addiction in the Grade Cricketer podcast and said that he was addicted to it so much, that he was dependent on the same to function normally on a daily basis. Further, the former Pakistani pacer said that he was forcefully kept in the rehab centre for more than a month.

“In England, somebody at a party said 'you wanna try it?' I was retired, I said ‘yea’h. Then one line became a gram. I came back to Pakistan. Nobody knew what it was but it was available. I realised, I couldn't function without it, which means I couldn't socialise without it,” Akram said in The Grade Cricketer podcast.

Akram advised the young generation to choose their company wisely and warned that they might meet the same fate if they failed to do so. The Pakistani legend also opened up on his wife’s passing and said that it was the toughest phase of his life as he had to take care of his two sons and also find a way to sort things right.

Apparently, that is illegal in the world but not in Pakistan: Wasim Akram

Saying that he expected a better rehab centre, Akram claimed that he hated to stay in the centre as they were lacking facilities. Further, the former Pakistani legend drew Australian centres as an example and said that it was a horrible stay.

“I was hurting my late wife a lot. We would have arguments. She said I need help. She said there's a rehab, you can go there. I said alright I will go there for a month but they kept me there for two and a half months against my will. Apparently, that is illegal in the world but not in Pakistan. That didn't help me. When I came out, a rebellion came into me. It's my money, I stayed in that horrible place against my will,” Akram added.

“In western movies, even in Australia you see rehabs have lovely big lawns, people give lectures, you go to gym. But I went to a place (in Pakistan) with a corridor and eight rooms, that's it. It was very very tough. It was a horrible time. Then a tragedy happened, my wife passed away. I knew I was on the wrong path, I wanted to get out of it. I had two young boys. In Western culture, a dad is involved fifty-fifty (with the mother). You wake up in the morning, drop your child to the school, pick them up, and change clothes. In our culture, as a dad, we never do that. It's the wife's turn. Our job is to go out and raise funds,” said the former Pakistan pacer further.