Today, people, especially youths, are faced with lots of societal pressures. One of the societal pressures that youths are facing is the desire to feel among their peers. This has led to different cases of drug abuse, addiction, worst still, suicide. In this post, I’ll share with you a story of how my innocent friend became a drug addict.
The heavy words echoed in his father's head: "Bring his inhaler! Bring his inhaler!" He had never imagined a day like this would come. He had always believed that his son, Alex, would follow his advice and stay away from the dangers of addiction. He had always believed that Alex, his precious and innocent son, would always adhere to his warnings. But now, Alex, his precious son. Alexy, the asthmatic patient, was now a smoker. A drug addict. Has his father failed so badly? What could he have done differently? What went wrong? Alex was lying on the floor, breathing heavily like a Rottweiler dog.
Three months before that time, Alex wasn’t a drug addict. He was a naive young boy who just landed at the university. At that time, Alex was foreign to the university lifestyle. I remember the day his dad dropped him like it was yesterday. It was a Sunday morning. The sun was scorching and the breeze was still and warm. Alex’s dad dropped him off in the hostel. As I helped my friend unpack his things in our new room, I couldn't help but think about how spending the next few months with Alex would be. His father spent half an hour lecturing us on how to be responsible and good students. The last thing he said before leaving stuck with me: "You two are not just roommates - you are brothers. Look out for each other." The screeching of the tires as the car zoomed off still rings a bell in my ears.
Alex and I bonded quickly. Although we had our differences, we learnt how to work things out. Alex hated onions. I know hate is a very strong word. But in this context, it is the right word. We found a way to fix things. Everything was fine until Alex joined the bad gang. He started going on late-night outings. When I returned to the room one afternoon, the last thing I expected to see was my roommate smoking. The floor was filled with butts of already-smoked cigarettes. His eyes were as red as a wild cat’s. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was shocked. Alex begged me not to tell his dad about his new “hobby.” “It was the devil’s work. I promise not to do it again.” With guilt in his eyes, he said to me.
The next few days were tense, with my roommate constantly begging me not to tell his father about the smoking. After he promised me he would never smoke again, I decided not to say anything. He told me he was going to stay at his cousin’s place for a while and then he vanished without a trace. I didn’t hear from him for more than two weeks. When he finally returned, I was shocked by how different he looked. He looked like an Agama lizard. His skin was dry. He looked lifeless.
Hurriedly, I called Alex’s father and explained the situation. By the time his father arrived at our room, Alex had locked himself inside and wouldn't respond to my knocking. After several minutes of trying to get him to open the door, we broke it down. By the time we got to Alex, he was in a terrible state. He was lying on the floor, gasping for breath. Sadly, Alex was unable to finish the semester, and his father had to take him to a rehabilitation center.
Note: For the sake of privacy, I didn’t use the real names of the people involved in this story. I also did not disclose the specific location where these events took place. That said, the story is a true account of what happened.
Thanks for reading.