Musician Takura Shonhai has opened up about his struggle with drug and substance abuse that he endured for eight years.
Takura, speaking on an online podcast, admitted that pressures in the music industry and broken relationships led him to take drugs and illegal substances.
"At some point, fame got to my head. People handle it differently but I handled it the worst. I became hard to work with. I would neglect my relationships because I was obsessed with making it. At that point, I did not see it until I was into drugs. One of the things I struggled with was the loss of people I loved.
"When I became an artist certain things became normal because most artists are into that. I can not say I was influenced but it is something I just did because I thought it was normal. I used to think that stuff would make me better but it did quite the opposite," said Takura.
He has been away from the music scene for quite some time, at some point announcing twice that he had quit music only to backtrack.
Takura said the five weeks that he spent in rehab were a turning point for him.
"One of the most major situations that made me want to change my life is rehab. I want to thank my manager. I messed up but he came through to help me. Even him deciding to take me to rehab and paying throughout, to me it is something I had never seen and I promised him to change.
"That experience in rehab helped me. It was the first week and second week that I had not been accepted and I realised that this was another chance for me. I wish I had done it way back," said Takura.
As the country battles to tame the scourge, Takura is one of few brave artists who have opened up about drug addiction.
Last year, Saintfloew admitted to struggling with drug addiction before he was taken to rehab.
Takura said he is now an advocate against drug abuse.
"I had a lot of time to think in rehab. I thought I had never used my influence for positive things. The situation in the country is something else: people are taking drugs. I plan to advocate for drugs," said Takura.
