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Zimbabwe international player Wessly Madhevere has blamed peer pressure and naïvety for assuming using recreational drugs was just a way of having “fun”.
“The first thing that led me to taking drugs, specifically marijuana, I think it was just naïvety,” the 23-year-old all-rounder said after completing a four-month ban imposed on him by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) for failing an in-house drugs test.
“I was just doing it for fun without realising the consequences that came with it. It was a matter of just having fun and stuff.
“But I was getting into a situation where I didn’t know if I was going to stop.”
Madhevere said he had learnt a lot from his mistakes.
“The lessons I took from it is I shouldn’t take anything for granted, as there will always be consequences for your actions,” he said.
“You have to think it through before doing stuff like that, especially taking drugs, especially knowing those kinds of drugs are not allowed.”
Madhevere said it was important for him as a cricketer to stay clean.
“The positive side about going for rehabilitation is I had to see my actions, to reflect and see life in a better perspective, be it in sport or at home,” he said.
“The ban and the rehabilitation taught me a big lesson that nothing must be taken for granted.”
Madhevere warned fellow sports-persons and other young people not to give in to peer pressure to indulge in drugs.
“The advice that I can give to fellow sportsmen and youths is you must not be in a position where you are not able to control yourself especially because of peer pressure and stuff because normally that’s where it comes from,” he said.
“If you think through it, you won’t find yourself in a situation where you are taking drugs and stuff.
“I think if you just respect whatever you are doing, whether it’s a job or something else, it will help you to make better decisions.
“Even though it might seem to be about fun and stuff, if you take it lightly you will end up being a drug addict.
“Just know that there will be consequences and if you know that it will help you to make better decisions.”
After his suspension from competitive cricket was lifted, Madhevere said he was determined to make a strong comeback.
“I think after the ban is over, I feel like I am more determined than ever before,” he said.
“Being away from the game made me appreciate how good a game it is and how life can be.
“It’s just a matter of now staying in the moment and forgetting what happened and just making sure that I come back stronger in the international circuit.”
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe international Brandon Mavuta has opened up on a marijuana addiction that he says left him struggling to eat or sleep.
Speaking after Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) this week lifted his suspension for failing an in-house drugs test, the 27-year-old bowling all-rounder admitted the habit nearly ruined his career and life.
“It started off as something that I was taking for fun and then it ended up as something that I was addicted to,” Mavuta said.
“I couldn’t sleep and most of the time I had loss of appetite and I ended up running to take marijuana . . . I regret it. It has actually been a lesson to me.”
The former Zimbabwe Under-19 captain was slapped with a four-month ban from competitive cricket after he returned a positive result for the recreational drug during an in-house anti-doping test in December.
As part of his rehabilitation, he was ordered to train under ZC’s high performance programme.
“I have quite learnt a lot in terms of how it happened and the effects of testing positive,” Mavuta said.
“But then the ban and rehabilitation that I had for the past four months has been helping me out because I have been working quite so hard on my game.
“It has actually been sort of a blessing in disguise because I had to spend more time focusing on my game and now I am fitter and stronger . . .”
Mavuta warned fellow sports-persons and other young people to desist from taking drugs.
“The advice I can give to people, youngsters or fellow sports-persons, is that it’s the worst thing to do — taking drugs — because it affects you in the long run and once you become (addicted) it will be very difficult for you to get back off it,” he said.
“I am happy now that I am out of it and managed to overcome it. If you are doing it, please, it’s not too late to stop . . . It’s not good for you guys. Trust me, it affects your life a lot.”
After the suspension saw him being overlooked for selection for Zimbabwe’s away tours to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and missing out on some domestic action, Mavuta is looking forward to getting back into action.
“I am hungrier, I am determined to bounce back and the bounce-back is going to be even bigger than what I was before because I have been in the high performance (programme) for those four months,” he said.
“I have been working pretty hard to bounce back and I will be on the sidelines waiting to get back into the team and wear that jersey with pride again.” — Zimbabwe Cricket.
Online Reporter