HARARE – Zimbabwe cricketer 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 inhouse 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, adding:
“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 sportspersons 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.”
Source: ZimCricket Media
