Steem Inspiration Contest | Freedom At Last | My Entry

Hello, fellow Steemit users. Addiction refers to constant engaging in a particular thing or activity. Addiction to bad things is something that several people go through in their life. Some are able to get through this addiction while others are led to the destruction of their life by giving in to this addiction. To get addicted is very easy, to begin with, but to come out of this addiction is something that is way too hard for someone to process alone. There are several reasons why people take up these addictions, they can be emotional, psychological, or just bad influences. The matter of addiction is something that needs to be taken very seriously and dealt with. This contest gives me the opportunity to talk about one such instance from my life where I helped a friend get rid of his addiction.

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A friend of mine got into smoking a few years back when we were just in school. Eventually, he did that stuff just to look cool but as time went on he started to get addicted and he even picked up drinking. At first, my friend changed groups, earlier he was in my group but then he joined the notorious boy club (as I would say) of my school. Our conversations were few then. He would usually hang out with those guys. I often saw him sneak out of the school with them to smoke cigarettes. When I confronted him for such things once, he laughed and asked me to join him in doing the stuff that grown-ups do.

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I started seeing his posts on social media where he would be either smoking or drinking in them. Before my friend could realize that, he was already addicted. He would go out of his home every day to get a smoke or two and often in the week to get drinks with his newly made friends. My words appear to not be making any sense to him and he continued to get involved deeper in these habits. He eventually started getting poorer grades in exams. After our school was over and he took a drop just like me in order to get to a good college, his health gradually started degrading. He was not ell for a few weeks though not any serious illness but it was all because of his addiction. His parents were also worried about him but he wouldn't listen to them.

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Then, one day when he saw his mother crying for him, he began to realize what grave habit he had taken up. He decided he would try to quit but it was hard. He would control himself for one day but then do double the smoking the next day. Tired of all of this, he wanted to talk this out with someone, but the people he had friended considered his problem as a joke. So, one day he contacted me. I hadn't heard from him in quite a few days so I was a bit surprised. Over the phone call, he just requested me to meet in person. When I met him, he told me all about what happened with him. He even apologized to me and regretted not seeking my advice. Though I was annoyed with him nevertheless he was still my friend, so I decided to help him.

I told him to call me up whenever he feels the urge to smoke or drink so that I could talk him out of it. I also advised him to spend time with his family when he felt the urge, I told him to stop hanging out with those guys if they would continue to indulge in these habits. I even recommended him to do Yoga in the morning with me in the park. I usually do not do that, but I decided it would be better for him if I came along. A few days passed and my friend began to make progress. After a few months, his health started to grow back. He even began focussing on his studies. Eventually, my friend was able to give up his addiction. He thanked me for helping him. Now, he is in a good college like mine.

Lastly, I would like to thank @supo1 for organizing this wonderful contest.

Thank You.

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