Photo Credit: Zimbabwe Cricket
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 inhouse 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 inhouse 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 sportspersons and other young people to desist from taking drugs.
“The advice I can give to people, youngsters or fellow sportspersons, 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.”
