SWASHBUCKLING former Zimbabwe Cricket captain Brendan Taylor does not shy away from preaching the dangers of alcohol and elicit drugs that subsequently ended his vast career.
At 37 years, Taylor would have been the team’s mainstay holding fort with both bat and gloves, but alas, he had other ideas as he fell victim to the vices of this earthly world.
He was fortunate to be in rehab, and the majority of youths suffering from this scourge do not get an opportunity to go through this life-redressing process.
“My 17-year cricketing career was abruptly ended by my addiction to alcohol and drugs. I find it hard to put into words the pain and suffering my family and I endured because of this hideous disease,” he said.
“With my career, hopes, and dreams shattered, I finally reached out for help. Help came in the form of a Recovery Retreat in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. Very dedicated and compassionate people there completely changed my life through the recovery program of action, and I was separated from alcohol and drugs for the last time on January 25th, 2022.”
Taylor, a veteran of 34 Tests, 205 One Day Internationals and 45 T20I, looks back at his time in the wilderness. He shares his encounter with God and his promise with the Creator, and Saturday morning. He will be embarking on the Walks for Recovery as part of his covenant with God on the mountain.
“During my rehabilitation in Nyanga, on the side of a mountain, I made a promise to God and myself that I would dedicate the rest of my life to helping and serving the people who still suffer as I once did,” added Taylor.
“What I was freely given, I will freely give away, and I set up the Brendan Taylor Foundation non-profit trust.
“Addiction is an epidemic in Zimbabwe. As a community, we are now at a point where most people are affected directly or indirectly by this deadly disease. Our country desperately needs decent and affordable treatment for addiction centres.”
Taylor intends to raise US$45 000.00 during this Walks for Recovery exercise for the Vumba Rehab project.
“Over the next six weeks, I will be embarking on three separate sponsored walks to raise funds for a Rehabilitation Centre currently being established in the Vumba, Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe,” he said.
“The Vumba Rehabilitation Centre will be established and run by the GHOL (Get High on Life) discretionary trust spearheaded by Paul Nobes and his team, who were instrumental in my recovery.
“Paul has helped hundreds of alcoholics and addicts over the last 22 years of his sobriety. The GHOL recovery services in Zimbabwe have a 7-year track record of rehabilitating and treating scores of addicts and alcoholics from around Zimbabwe and other countries.”
Brendan Taylor’s Walks For Recovery over the next six weeks:
- Brendan Taylor and friends – 50 km Walk.
- Dave Houghton and various Zim sporting celebrities – 50km Walk.
- Zimbabwe Sables rugby team – 50km Walk.
