I Envied Her Addiction to Drugs

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“I had a very horrible youthful age. It was traumatic and life-threatening. My parents never loved me enough. All these started after they divorced and my dad had to marry another lady.” She spoke so calmly and confidently as she shared her experience with me. “ Dad left for a study leave in the United States, and since then, my step-mother made life so distasteful for my siblings and me.” I could remind myself just by staring at her confidence and beauty that you don’t see scars. It’s another kind of virtue to have been able to make a meaningful life out of pressure, ill-treatment and wrong accusations because these kind of scars are capable of maiming one’s life with agony, culpability and low self-esteem.

“Most times, to rest my head from deep thoughts and suppress thoughts of depression and signs of panicking, I just need to take some drugs recommended by a medical friend. It got to a time I could barely sleep unless I chewed on these drugs. I spent money buying ecstasy, partying hard, and still had to keep my school works flowing in distinctions.”

This was a conversation with a journalist friend I met at a seminar sometime last year November. Her career achievements were so beautiful that she could go on and on to speak about how addiction to drugs had helped her stay sane and focused. My accolade goes to the fact that she finally understood she wasn’t in control of her life at some point in time. She found new ways to break out from the joy and sense of satisfaction derived from using drugs to run her life.

Addiction is a condition or a situation where one cannot do without using substances or engaging in a particular activity. It can affect the strongest of all beings. One can become addicted to drugs, smoking, sex, theft, etc. While some people go into this activity just because of peer pressure, others just get addicted to things because they find it as a kind of fortress from their pains and misery.

“All these changed with just a campaign that was held in my campus by some religious student organization.” She smiled and asked me why I was so focused on hearing her story. Well, I was in short of words and had to smile my way out of the question. I actually had her permission to share her story, and she was cool with it. Asked me to refer her as a panel or facilitator for any function related to health matters.

One of the ways she actually broke this barrier was the kind of clarity she had
gotten and a mind shift that she wasn’t actually in control of her life despite all achievement. There’s still an hold on her. Following some routine plans and tasks like self-affirmations and relocating to a new neighborhood. She could later find herself getting better control of her life. She started raising pets and finding deep pleasure in caring for cats. Her fondness for cats gave her a life to care for. Sounds funny, but then, it worked. She also talked about routine exercises and the showers of love she got from a caring boyfriend.

Everyone may not be morally perfect, and I doubt anyone is. I envied her for a moment, and I was challenged to see how a lady could be so strong to have built a life and a career from a messed up childhood and a shattered home. No one is too broken to be fixed.