Dermot Reeve, the former Warwickshire County Cricket Club captain, last night issued a stark warning on the dangers of cocaine as the full extent of his drug addiction became apparent.

The ex-England all-rounder confessed in a Sunday newspaper that his addiction to cocaine had damaged his marriage and cost him his career as a commentator with Channel 4.

Reeve (pictured) also admitted to smoking marijuana during his time as a player at Edgbaston, suggesting that he was far from alone in the experience.

"If every cricketer I knew at the time I played who had taken illegal substances was banned from playing, you would not have seen very good teams out there," Reeve said.

"I'm talking about the teams in the 90s, when I played for England and Warwickshire.

"Cannabis was the culture during that era, but now the young cricketers are open to much more temptation. Cocaine is being offered in public places."

Far from revelling in the notoriety, however, Reeve told The Post he had learned "a valuable lesson" and urged others not to damage their lives as he had.

"I just want to urge people not to fall into the trap that I did.

"Cocaine is a temptation to young people today, both in cricket and in society as a whole, but I would advise everyone to resist.

"It does give you a momentary buzz. But in the longer term it damages your health and your finances and eventually you think about it all the time. It's terribly damaging."

Reeve's revelations are hardly a surprise. His predilection for cocaine has been an open secret for some time and he has previously remarked on the difficulty of recapturing the adrenaline rush he enjoyed from a life in sport.

But, coming as they do when two of Warwickshire's players are serving drugs related bans, such revelations are bound to provoke further embarrassment at Edgbaston. Graham Wagg is currently serving a 15-month ban for taking cocaine, while Keith Piper will hear his penalty for taking cannabis on Thursday.

With former players Paul Smith and Ed Giddins having also served bans for taking cocaine, Reeve's words are bound to propagate the myth that Warwickshire is a club riddled with drug problems.

Strip away the hyperbole of Reeve's story, however, and there is not too much to damage Warwickshire. Yes, he was captain at the time that he was smoking marijuana and yes, he is an honorary life member of the club. But Warwickshire can hardly be responsible for a man succumbing to an addiction a decade or so after retiring as a player. Furthermore Reeve does not allege that any of the current players are involved in drug taking.

The bulk of Reeve's comments refer to his experiences as a commentator with Channel 4. He admits that he had 'no recollection of seeing the ball' for two days during one Test after taking a cocktail of drugs, and of failing to turn up on time.

Unsurprisingly Reeve's offer to resign from his Channel 4 position has been accepted.

"I'm looking to the future," he said last night. "I'm off to Australia to spend time with my family and I'm very positive about the next step in my life. I've learned a valuable lesson and I hope I'm stronger for it."

Reeve's comments echo the allegations made by former all-rounder Paul Smith as he retired from the game in 1996. Smith's colourful account of life as a county player, detailing a prolific appetite for sex and drugs, now appears to have been the amalgam of several players' experiences.

"I don't think anyone in a position of power at Edgbaston could have known what was going on," Smith said last night. "People who take drugs tend to be pretty good at hiding it.

"But the people in authority wouldn't know what to look out for. Perhaps the club - and cricket generally - needs a new set of eyes to take a look at what's going on. Drugs are a problem for the whole of society - not just cricket - and to suggest it's more of an issue at Warwickshire than anywhere else is naive."