Wasted?

Cricketer Paul Smith's life fell apart after he received a drugs ban in 1996, which effectively ended his career. He was made a scapegoat and still believes he was singled-out while several other, favored players were allowed to continue their careers. Paul lost his house, his marriage, his children and, of course, his job. How does a man come back from that? In this extraordinary autobiography, Paul Smith tells the story of the rock star lifestyle of a top cricketer, who produced Man of the Match performances at Lord's to help Warwickshire to an unprecedented domestic treble of trophies, which set him on the slippery slope to oblivion. He then describes the torment of being an outcast, losing everything and facing the stark choice of how to go on. This is a modern morality tale with no holds barred and no quarters given as Paul reveals the incredible sexual attraction that goes with being a sports star, his descent into drug taking, the hero-worship that fans gave him after his match-winning performances made Warwickshire the "Manchester United of Cricket," and how he struggled to cope with this heady and potent mix of adulation and demands on his time, body, and emotional energy. And how, eventually, his life fell apart. But Paul found redemption by using his own incredible experiences to inspire inner city kids in both the UK and the USA to reject modern temptations such as drugs, violence, and guns. His work is testament to how he has turned his own remarkable life around. He now works for the Prince's Trust in Britain and with downtown youths in LA in tough, violent districts, where he is the only non-black allowed. And his methods of speaking to the kids about how he nearly ruined his life are working. Nearly 50% fewer of those he spends time with in LA carry guns. This book affirms that it is possible for a bad apple to turn good again with mental strength, positivity, and a hell of a lot of honesty.