Nobel Peace Prize winner and women’s rights activist Malala Yousafzai has revealed that she used drugs several times during her university life in the UK,.
According to The Guardian, Malala makes this revelation in her forthcoming memoir titled Finding My Way, scheduled for release on October 21, 2025. The book, her most personal account yet, explores her struggles, resilience, and the many emotional challenges she faced while studying at Oxford University.
Malala writes that during one night at Oxford, she accompanied her friend Anisa to an old shed where two boys were taking drugs. Curious and unaware of the effects, she tried the substance herself using what she described as a “strange glass device.”
She recalls having used cannabis before without much effect, but this time, the experience was overwhelming. After inhaling the smoke, she began to feel disoriented, anxious, and physically unwell.
Trauma and fear resurface
In her memoir, Malala describes how the drug triggered vivid flashbacks of the 2012 Taliban shooting in her hometown of Swat, Pakistan.
She writes that her body began to tremble, her muscles stopped responding, and she felt as though she had been transported back to that horrific day — surrounded by blood, chaos, and fear.
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Malala says she “felt as if she was reliving her coma,” recalling sensations from her hospital stay, including difficulty breathing and the feeling of a tube in her throat.
Night of panic and helplessness
The activist further narrates that she struggled to walk back to her hostel, feeling as though her legs were “weighed down.” With her friend’s help, she eventually reached her room but soon collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed by fear and nausea.
She writes that she vomited repeatedly, could not sleep all night, and tried to stay awake by slapping her face and shaking herself, terrified that she might die if she closed her eyes.
By morning, Malala says she felt slightly better but remained in shock for several days.
A deeply personal revelation
Malala’s candid account sheds light on the psychological scars that survivors of violence often carry for years. Her memoir not only details her global advocacy for girls’ education but also opens an intimate window into her mental health struggles and recovery.
Finding My Way promises to be a deeply introspective story of resilience, healing, and the pressures of public life following fame and trauma.
