Speaking exclusively to kenyagist.com on Wednesday, December 18, the vocal presenter intimated that he had made a huge leap to get to the sober and clean state that he is in right now.
The host of Citizen TV‘s One Love reggae show revealed that it had not been an easy journey for him given the fact that at one time people around him saw him as irredeemable, having spent many of his formative years doing hard drugs.
Having been in and out of rehab a number of times, Coco stated that it reached a point in his life when he felt like he was being left behind by his agemates who had already settled, had jobs, were married and had families, and he knew that it was time to decide to stop the downward spiral that his life had become once and for all.
That was the start of his difficult journey to recovery, a journey that he stated had been peppered with slip-ups, and then recovery and altered the course of his life.
“I will not lie to you that my journey has been completely sober. There have been times in the past when I have relapsed, but as they say, relapse is a road to recovery. When you fail, you get up and deal with the mistake,” he told kenyagist.com.
Coco narrated that he had the last rehab visit in 2006 after he relapsed for close to two months, but he managed to get back on his feet through the help and support of family, his counselor and mentor, all who listened to him and supported him till he got back on his feet.
He, however, stated that though he had recovered and tried to keep a healthy and balanced lifestyle complete with proper dieting and religion, he was well aware that a little mistake could send him hurtling back into the dark abyss he had once been in.
The Citizen TV presenter revealed that he had cut off many friends and time spent outdoors since he knew that any little negative influence was a potential trigger to his past behaviour and could set him back many years.
“It is a struggle every day. I do not go out much, and I do not put myself in situations that would tempt me, and at times I get lonely so I just make my home as comfortable as possible so that when I get there, as much as I am lonely, I have things to keep me comfortable,” he stated.
Coco stated that his journey to recovery was a miracle and a second chance, and he felt that the reason he got out of the situation was to spread a message of hope to the youth that they can get over anything if they decided to.
At the moment, he is currently working with First Lady Margaret Kenyatta’s Pupils Rewards Scheme (PURES), which is a mentorship program aimed at motivating and instilling discipline in pupils.
He also spends his time in rehabilitation centers and churches where he engages the youth on the effects of drug abuse when he is not at Hot 96 FM or on Citizen TV.
