My devices turned into vices; I developed a dependency on cocaine: Wasim Akram

As
reported
in
The
Times,
and
from
excerpts
from
his
autobiography,
Akram
went
on
to
add
that
he
took
cocaine
while
working
as
a
television
expert.

Akram’s
international
career
spanned
over
18
years.
Following
his
retirement,
the
former
legend
continued
his
association
with
the
sport
as
he
travelled
across
the
world
on
coaching
assignments
and
as
a
commentator.

Opening
up
about
his
cocaine
addiction,
Akram
said,
the
habit
began
after
his
playing
days
when
he
started
to
crave
a
“substitute
for
the
adrenaline
rush
of
the
competition.
The
former
Pakistani
legend
went
on
to
add
that
after
the
death
of
his
first
wife
Huma
in
2009,
his
addiction
ended.

In
the
extracts
of
the
book,
which
was
published
alongside
an
interview
in
The
Times,
Akram
wrote,
“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
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.
It
made
me
volatile.
It
made
me
deceptive.
Huma,
I
know,
was
often
lonely
in
this
time…
she
would
talk
of
her
desire
to
move
to
Karachi,
to
be
nearer
her
parents
and
siblings.
I
was
reluctant.
Why?
Partly
because
I
like
going
to
Karachi
on
my
own,
pretending
it
was
work
when
it
was
actually
about
partying,
often
for
days
at
a
time,”
wrote
Akram.

“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,
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
a
lot
of
addicts,
part
of
me
welcomed
discovery:
the
secrecy
had
been
exhausting,”
continued
Akram.

Akram
added
that
Huma’s
‘last
selfless
act’ was
to
cure
him
of
his
drug
problem.
Akram,
who
is
Pakistan’s
leading
wickettaker
in
both
Test
and
ODI
cricket,
retired
from
the
sport
in
2003.