Short Story: Addicted [Part 3]

The addiction short story continues with a wealthy man whose addiction started from library in school.

Greg Amucha was a very intelligent and wealthy Economist.

Although “antisocial”( a demeaning way, in my opinion to describe a person), his demeanor, tone or even body language didn’t reveal his dark secret, or did it? There must have been a hint, a sign.. The room was enveloped in deafening silence.

I did a quick take on his body language; of course he was avoiding eye contact. For the first time in my career, I began to appreciate that professional course, “ Neuro-linguistic programming “.

I remember how angry I was at first that there was no discount offered despite the highly “inflated” fees. I knew that I was going to be putting some of the skills acquired in that course to good use.

The cry for help

Without even asking, he began to talk…Quiet Greg broke the silence. “ I need help, I cant help it “ and he began to sob.

A little later I learned that Greg got hooked up in the university; not in the club, not even in the hostel, not at parties.. He got hooked up in the LIBRARY! Ah! Is that not where serious-minded students go to study? I thought he was going to tell me vendors hung around the library, chatting people up.

Interestingly, he said that they were not vendors but students like him, and first class students, at that. They were not only addicted, but  “ evangelists of the powder “.

Although, at first he rejected my suggestion that he should be checked into a center for professional help (don’t mind the long grammar, I mean, “Yaba left “), he finally succumbed at the instance of his father.

I had opportunities to visit, listen, counsel and play Chess with him, and I always left with more knowledge about drug addiction through the lens of a former addict. Nigeria has a growing problem amongst many others, with drug addiction and no one is paying serious attention to this.

 

The Media has been writing reports and churning out information about this menace, but it appears no one, group, community or government is paying much attention.

According to “This Day” Newspaper of 1 November 2017, over half a million bottles of Codeine are consumed daily in Nigeria. Cocaine, Amphetamine, Heroin and Marijuana are readily available, without much control in the Country.

The Guardian Newspapers report of 3 February 2017 had earlier reported about the rampant increase in substance abuse among the northern youths. The markets are saturated with young ones (who are deprived of basic education), hooked on opioids; someone must be supplying them. The addict might be an average “market-boy”, who pops these opioids in his bottle of coca cola after a “hard day’s work. All he does is to use his vehicle (wheelbarrow) to transport items for traders and buyers alike, and so he sees his addiction as a “reward”.

 

Well I got a call from Greg, he is back home, “clean”, and taking each day as it comes. And yes, his wife Adaeze decided to stay back and “fight for her man”, beni , (and her new lifestyle , I guess, LOL!)

Written by Aunty B

Bo Adesoye is a Pharmacist turned Children’s Counselor and Educationist. She writes blogs on “issues of concern “ and runs the Auntyb Facebook page and a website auntybspeaks.com

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