A Wrong Choice will Cost you more than you are willing to Pay

Patrick was going through a difficult time in his life. His parents were going through a divorce and no one was really paying attention to him. Some of his friends were urging him to take some drugs to ease up the tension within him. They told him the drugs could help him relax and even concentrate in class in addition to having a constant flow of energy. He was hesitant at first, but since his friends were already taking the drugs, he decided to join in. When he first tried it, he became very ill and after medical attention, he said he would never use drugs again. Time went by and finally, his parents got divorced. His mother decided to relocate to Asia while his father opted to venture into more businesses. Ultimately, Patrick was left lonely since his mother was no longer around while his father was always going from one business meeting to another.

He then decided to indulge in his studies. He did his assignments in time, read ahead of the teacher, joined study groups and even started a young engineers club in his school. His performance was exceptional. He got admiration from both fellow students and teachers. He had everything under control. He hardly noticed his parents’ absence. He was too busy with homework, school projects and attending club meetings. His grades greatly improved and so did his overall health. He was no longer worried about many things but rather decided to take one day at a time. After all, he had no control over what happens in his parents’ lives.  Fortunately for him, he lost his friends; the ones who still insisted on doing drugs. He became a focal point so much such that the guidance and counselor department used his life as an example to all those students who were going through a difficult time in their lives. Those who felt unwanted were encouraged to make something out of their life instead of sulking and being miserable. He had the highest score in his final high school year and enrolled for an Engineering course at the college.

As he was about to leave for college, he threw a party and invited all his friends. It was such a big party; even his father brought his business associates. In order to entertain the adults, alcohol was made available. After one too many, the adults’ judgement was impaired leaving the teens to make all the wrong decisions. Some tried out the alcohol while others trying out some of the forbidden things which I will choose not to mention here. Interestingly, Patrick did not try out the alcohol nor experiment with the other stuff. He kept himself clean.

Before long, he reported at his college. He was so excited since he had been patiently waiting for this

time. He could finally be independent and lead the kind of life he desired. He needed some peace and quiet in his life. He acquired a room at a nearby hostel and decided not to share it with anyone. He simply could not deal with having people close to him. He preferred to be alone most of the time. He took his studies seriously and sailed through first year with no difficulties. Some of the students who enrolled with him for the engineering course dropped within the first few weeks. It was not an easy course and it required a lot of dedication and determination. Only those who were willing to excel could keep up with this course’s demands.

He joined a study group in the second year of college. It was here that he met Jude, a third year Engineering student who excelled in everything he did. Patrick admired him so much and without realising it, he began to emulate what Jude was doing. Unfortunately, Jude was using some drugs despite all the virtues that he had. Patrick became very close to him and they ended up becoming the best of friends. Patrick tried to stop Jude from taking the drugs but to no avail. He even offered to go with him for counseling and even enroll in a rehab centre but Jude could not give in. He was used to the drugs and since he was functioning properly, one could hardly tell he could not do without the drugs. It seems his body was adjusted to the high drug levels in his blood. One afternoon, Patrick visited Jude and found him taking green tea. He decided to also have a cup. However, the tea did not taste the way he had expected. When he asked Jude which tea leaves he had used, Jude told him he used green tea with a little bit of spice. “…I added some natural flavour to the tea! I used the herbs you have been trying to make me quit!”

Patrick could not believe it; he had just used drugs and worse still involuntarily. He wanted to throw up but he couldn’t. He rushed to his hostel room and vowed never again to eat anything Jude offered him. Two days later, he went back to Jude and found him in his room studying. There was some funny smell in the room but Patrick did not mind. He sat down and they studied together for about three hours. He was feeling very dizzy and decided to lie down for a while. He thought it was because he had not been eating well for the past few days while studying really hard for the upcoming exams. Instead of feeling better, he only felt worse. Then Jude realised what was happening, the air was saturated with one of the drugs he had boiled and let the steam fill the room. He loved to inhale it that way. He quickly took Patrick for first aid at the college clinic. After treatment, Patrick decided to keep away from Jude. He had become a negative force in his life.

As third year began, Jude was in fourth year excelling as usual. Then Patrick thought to himself, ‘Jude is a bright student who is always happy despite using drugs.’ It was at that point that he made the decision to try out whatever Jude was using since it seemed to have no effect save for making Jude happy. He fully indulged in to it and ironically, Jude tried to caution him, telling him about the dangers of taking too much drugs. Patrick would not listen. He had made up his mind. Half way through the year, Jude passed away. The post mortem results revealed that his lungs were overworked and his kidneys had failed due to prolonged use of drugs. At that same point, Patrick’s performance had greatly dropped and his life was a big mess. He had major money issues and owed almost everybody in college. The money he had was not enough to support his drug needs. He sold most of his belongings and was even using rent and fee money to buy the drugs.

He missed the end year exams because he did not pay for them. When he finally returned to college the following year, he could not study as usual. Somehow, his brain was not functioning properly. He could not remember things. He simply became a scatterbrain. He managed to sit for his end year exams but he failed terribly. He repeated third year four times and each time, he failed worse than the previous year. He tried to quit drugs and when all his efforts failed, he joined a rehabilitation centre. After five years at the rehab, he came out clean and free from drugs.

He decided to give college another shot. He signed up and resumed at third year. Studying was a nightmare for him. He could hardly remember all that he had already learnt and grasping new concepts was even harder. He went for a doctor’s review after four months and discovered his brain was permanently damaged. There was nothing that could be done. His ambitions and aspirations all went down the drain. Unfortunately, his brain got worse despite stopping the use of drugs. Apparently, this damage was gradual and it turned Patrick into a cabbage. You could find him standing or sitting at a spot gazing in the air even for half an hour. It was like as if he had hanged, the same way a computer does. His life was ruined the moment he decided to try out the drugs. His mother really regretted leaving her son behind. She was convinced that had she taken him with him, he would have made it in life. That one wrong decision that Patrick made, cost him so dearly. Even though he does not know it himself since he cannot remember anything any more. He repeats the same greeting all day long because he thinks he has just woken up! His mother took him in and employed a full time nurse to look after him.