Why Jimwat avoided his child while fighting alcoholism

Under 18 hit maker Jimwat got candid about having a child while battling alcoholism.

• Jimwat fell deep into alcoholism and it affected his family life 

• The singer says he can't relapse

under 18 hitmaker jimwat speaks alcoholism
under 18 hitmaker jimwat speaks alcoholism

Under 18 hitmaker Jimwat has opened up for the first time about the impact his alcoholism had on his child.

Speaking to YouTuber Presenter Ali, Jimwat told that it was an emotional time for him.

"I started drinking in class seven it was experimenting with my friends. 

At family gatherings, we took a sachet with my cousin and tasted it. . I found it bitter but I liked it. When I was in form two, I used to hang with older guys so on weekends I needed to go to clubs to perform"

He added that they would buy him soda but he decided to buy himself a Guinness one day. 

" I think one day I bought a Guinness, that was when I started that was in form two."

Jimwat didn't realize just how far into alcoholism he was. He thought it was social drinking.

"I had to go to the studio when I had drank something because I would not be in my element if I hadn't drank alcohol. By the time I was being nominated for awards I would be so high they would not want me to go on stage. they feared I would 'choma'."

People knew he had an alcohol problem. At one point he was taken off the stage when he nearly dropped off for drunkenness'.

"People didn't try to help him because they achieved what they wanted "you see the promoter's management is a business so they achieve as the promoter they ha ticket sales are good, beer sales are goods, the artistes represent, as long as everybody is getting paid it's not an issue."

Jimwat added

"When it's a business as long as the business is successful; if it ain't broke don't fix it, bado hii ngombe inaleta maziwa."

The singer never had this conversation with management, only his family took some action.

he has been sober for more than 7 years, after years of battling with alcoholism.
Jimwat he has been sober for more than 7 years, after years of battling with alcoholism.

|What are some of his regrets when he was an alcoholic? 

"I don't like to regret, I'm more like I live and learn"

Explaining his statement, Jimat told Presenter Ali

"There are a lot of mistakes but I learned from them. In a sense they made me better, apart from music, I don't discuss my issues"

He paused and opened up about being an absent father

"but there was a time I was you know like when you are a father you are supposed to be in your child's life. So I was more financial not physical. Like I hadn't seen my kids in months and its not a big thing. I would send money . I think I was in a shell by myself"

Jimwat explained the absence had to do with fear of his child seeing him drunk

"Like maybe if someone talked to me utamambiwa kitu na baby mama, but utatafuta reason ya ku make hio bad good na the fact that I provide. Even when you are told to see the child I'm like mpe simu. I mean the kid is like two years nini at least if I was there ingekuwa poa."

Jimwat regrets his actions as a father

"Thinking about it, it wasn't like I was hakunaga msee huwa too busy coz most of the time I wasn't too busy probably niko na hang down coz somehow psychologically unafeel utalet huyo mtoi down if they see you maybe with a hangover and everything."

Jimwat has now been sober 7 years and is upbeat about everything

"so in my mind I told myself to avoid my child kukaa mbali nisi chome. Bora I do the right thing ni hustle namshugulikia. So I think ku lose out on hio time and the fact that vile probably life yangu vile nilipanga that time would have gone differently."

Adding

"But I don't regret it coz the fact that I'm sober seven plus years and it got to a point someone asked me why I don't have any more desire to drink. It's not easy for me to relapse but it's not impossible but it's not easy "

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