British based flat jockey Adrian McCarthy has been suspended for six months at a hearing on Thursday after testing 1,000 times over the threshold limit for metabolites of cocaine following a urine test at Chelmsford last October.
The rider admitted to a panel on Thursday that he had been battling with alcohol and cocaine abuse and had attempted suicide, but now is looking forward to the future.
It was announced by McCarthy at the end of last year in an interview with the BHA that the rider had become bored and depressed during lockdown and with came along regularly drinking all day and taking cocaine three times a week.
The rider fully co-operated with the BHA at the hearing at it was found that the positive test revealed him to have 150,300ng/ml of benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, in the sample, with the BHA setting a threshold of 150ng/ml.
The hearing also expressed how McCarthy is now in a much better place and is on the road to recovery, having been in a dark place during his life.
(Credit Racing Post) He said: “Last year and the year before I was really depressed. I’m on tablets now and am having counselling – I’ve had counselling in the past – and I also tried taking my own life. I didn’t care about myself, about anything, about being here. I was using drugs – cocaine – and drinking to try to make things better but they only make things worse.
“I’m looking forward to being positive and I’m looking to the future. I’m in a lot better place than I was before and I’m enjoying my work. We all make mistakes and I regret it but we all have to look forward and work hard.”