COCAINE-The BANE of DENNIS CHUKWU: an intriguing true life story

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Based on a true life story of what happened to my best friend by name Okafor Dennis Ebubechukwu whom I was fortunate to meet in my high school way back in 2010

No man is an island, we need good friends in life in one way or the other

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In a quest to achieve success and reach the zenith of my educational career I applied for an admission into one of the higher institution located in West Africa, a university were people pass through and there lives are remodelled, a university where the standard are so high that you are left with no choice but to go an extra mile to dig deep and activate the sleeping giant in you.

A university where there is high intellectual competitiveness -only the strongest survives while the weak ones manage to survive but when they can't, they fail out.

This university is famously known as the lions den - university of Nigeria. It is usually described with the acronym 'lions den' the attributes aforementioned above says it all.

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Gaining admission into a university is one thing and surviving the hectic, strenous and rigouros activities is another thing. In 2014 while going through the process of screening to become a bona-fide student of the prestigious university, Dennis my friend a handsome, good looking,yellow in complexioned, tall and self reserved person also gained admission into university of Lagos.

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Dennis, an easy going fellow and someone with a gentle spirit. Dennis is someone with passion, enthusiasm, perseverance and willingness to succeed at all cost, even if it means going an extra mile to ensure he attains the pinnacle of his goal in life he is ever willing.

These are the few attributes I learnt about Dennis while we were in high school.
Dennis had the charisma, skill and whatever you think a man needs to succeed in life, he was just an embodiment of talent and wisdom. This made me like him more, we play and have fun together, could remember how we used to crack jokes together, made fun of each other especially in the aspect of having the courage to toast a lady. Most times he says to me Cyprian " I dare you to toast that young lady coming right towards us" in a bid to prove that I am man I give in and make an attempt to prove myself, I make an attempt but only to end up stammering in front of the lady, next he does is to laugh me to scorn after the encounter. Well ain't my fault, probably I haven't manned up enough then to toast a lady.

Our cordial, symbiotic and harmonious relationship continued throughout our days in high school until we parted when we both gained admission into different university. I must say it was really fun knowing Dennis. The challenges we faced as first year medically inclined student in our individual university was minimal not until third year (2017).

Second semester of third year was the height of it. Things became tougher and tougher. You have to wake up everyday to read atleat 8hours a day, if you want to excell well. You have to attend night classes to meet up with the increasing demand of courses like physiology, anatomy, medical biochemistry.

Never did we know that it is the higher you go the more difficult it becomes in the medical field

Most times we called each other on phone to know how each other is faring and also to discuss pertinent issues affecting us. Though we were far from each other yet we never lost contact, we were always communicating with each other. Most times Dennis complained to me on phone how things are now becoming very tough for him in his school, he complained of how he could no longer cope with the bulky textbook and handouts released by lectures. I do feel his pain and also console and encourage him to try his best.

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I was able to cope with the challenges of waking up to read at night, go to night classes and still wake up on time to prepare for classes. Though it really cost me my sleep those times, Dennis was also trying his best, doing all he can to meet up with the challenges. Even though we are very tight friends and studying in different university, Dennis took me as his elder brother which he doesn't have, he took me as a mentor which he did not have, he took me as a school father, he took me as someone who will always watch his back, he took me as a guardian angel, as a counselor and as a brother. Distance was never a barrier to our friendship.

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In the process of trying to meet up with the increasing demand of the courses, Dennis most often sought my advise before doing things he is not sure of. Honestly it was a privilege to be a mentor to someone else.
Exams were approaching gradually and finally it came. I guess Dennis had not prepared so well for the exam according to what he told me on phone , and in a bid to salvage the impending low confidence approach to exam, Dennis resorted to taking COCAINE . This is where the problem began, I know one would be wondering...why COCAINE

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As medical students, the rampant thing then was COCAINE - because it was claimed to prevent the student from sleeping and enhances intellectual capacity, Cognitivenes, retention and thus helps the student to read long enough as he wants

Some even take bitter cola and Coffee. To me I didn't really believe this because most times I see students where I read with the packet of coffee, I usually asked them what was there intentions about the coffee and what it does to them, the reply I get is

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ah you don't know, hmm coffee will make you to 'Jack eee' (meaning to read)

this is a popular slangs we use to describe reading. After the reponse, I usually keep calm and observe to truely know whether the acclaimed efficacy and potency of coffee to inhibit sleep is real, only to end up discovering that they sleep like people that have been injected with anaesthesia or people that have taken sleeping 💊 pills.

They sleep like cows that have been infected with trypanosomiasis (a disease condition caused by a specie of trypanosome -Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma rhodensie." transmitted by the bite of an insect called theTse- tse fly)

Cocaine, caffeine, amphetamine, alcohol, Narcotics like heroin, morphine, cannabis are few of the examples of CNS (central nervous system) stimulants that affect the brain and make one behave in an abnormal way especially when take in excess or abused ( Drug abuse). One thing they failed to realize is that we humans have different genetic make up, and it is based on this that we have different response to drugs or stimulants- this is known as pharmacogenomics.

What works for me might not work for you

After sleeping they wake up to discover that they had slept so long throughout the entire night class.
Dennis to me didn't realize what works for him that time and did not bother asking me for help or further advice probably he was tired of asking and seeking advice from me. how he got to know about cocaine really baffled me because ever since I have known him, he does not associate with bad friends, he is always self reserved. One faithful morning, my phone rang, I picked up my phone and saw that it was Dennis, I answered the call with the expectation of hearing my best friend's voice only to discover that it was another person. The next I heard was that,

Cyprian your friend has ran mad!

At first, I was silent for like ten seconds due to the shock, I asked the caller again, please what do you mean? He screamed at me again

my friend I said Dennis has ran mad!!!

at that moment I now understood that the caller was serious with what he said. I was confused, a lot of thought started going through my mind- hey... What happened? Has his evil village men struck him with madness? I could no longer think straight, my morning was just spoilt after the conversation on phone. I kept calling the parents to know about his situation, but each time I called I always get an unsatisfactory answer. The mother got tired of my call and later told me the truth that Dennis took hard drug in such a large quantity that it affected his psychological and motor activities. Dennis could no longer even recognize his parents and siblings, Dennis was in another world.

The test conducted on him revealed that he took cocaine and this has really affected him psychologically. Further investigation by the parents to know why or what prompted him to do such thing revealed that he took the drug after an advise he received from his friend in school.

This friend of his advised him to take the drug because it will keep him awake anytime he wants to read till day break, He took overdose in an attempt to be able to read for long hours at night so as to meet up with topics he has not covered before exam finally approaches

I could no longer read because each time I remember the condition of Dennis, I feel a shivering sensation run through my body all the way from my head down to my feet.
Dennis my best friend, someone whom we started the journey together, someone who I can't let go nor do without going insane. It was really too much and unbearable. Each time i went to church, my prayer point was always, God heal my friend, we have gone along way for this to start happening now. Each time I prayed, it seemed I was pouring Sand in the ocean, each time I prayed it seemed the matter was getting worse day by day, each time I prayed it seems I was flogging a dead horse，I wondered then, if God still existed.

The problem with Dennis continue to the extent that the exam period finally came, because of the problem he had, he missed his exams, lost most of his school documents, many friends forsook him, and he became the latest news in town. It was really a horrible moment for me, As a student then, I was also preparing for my exam and at this same time trying my best to see that my one and only closest friend was back to his normal state of health through my prayers and best wishes towards him. I called the parents countless times in a day, but the situation was not turning a new leaf. It was really a challenging experience for me then. I just wished I could just teleport myself to Lagos to see him everyday and still return to my school same day.

The situation got worst that Dennis could no longer eat, a tube had to be passed through his mouth to feed him

when I heard this I said to myself oh God this is too much. I could not wait for our exam to finish, Immediately the next day I boarded a bus to Lagos, a journey of roughly nine to ten hours by road. Getting to Lagos, the next day I went straight to psychiatric hospital at Yaba where he was admitted to see my dear friend Dennis. His parents were shocked to see me because I came unceremoniously. I looked at my friend Lieing on the hospital bed, each time I look at him Lieing on the hospital bed, tears flow through my ears and at times I cry audibly as I cannot help it. Most times I sit down beside him and sing in tears that God should heal my best friend. Days passed, months passed but Dennis was not responding to treatment. The doctor in charge of his case suggested he be flown to India for further diagnosis.

Dennis parents were well to do, they listened to the doctor's advise and after two weeks, he was flown to India, over there, the doctors said the situation was already critical and has really gone worst because he took the cocaine in very large quantity.

One month after being in coma and being fed through a pipe that runs through his mouth Dennis gave up the ghost on the December 5th 2017.

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When I heard the news of his death, I cried uncontrollably. Writting this story still makes me cry, I know how I feel each time I travel to Lagos and going to Dennis house to see his grave, it's really painful. This is a true life story to warn young ones about the danger of hard drugs or any CNS stimulants.

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I have been doing well in school, I see no reason for taking drugs just to read, you can do without it, believe in yourself and don't listen to negative advise from bad friends.
Written by @Cyprianj.
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