Dialogue About Drug Addiction

Two friends discuss a classmate who has stopped attending college, and decide what to do.

A dialogue between Shakil and Tanim

Shakil: Tanim, have you seen Rony lately? He has not come to college for two weeks.

Tanim: I have heard something, and I did not want to believe it. They say he has fallen into bad company.

Shakil: Drugs?

Tanim: That is what people are saying. His results collapsed after the last examination.

Shakil: How does it even begin? He was a good student two years ago.

Tanim: Usually with friends, out of curiosity, at an age when refusing feels harder than agreeing.

Shakil: And then it becomes a habit before anyone notices.

Tanim: Exactly. By the time a family sees it, months have passed. That is what the counsellors say.

Shakil: Can he be helped now?

Tanim: Yes, if he is willing. There are rehabilitation centres, and treatment works better the earlier it starts.

Shakil: Should we tell his elder brother? It feels like betraying him.

Tanim: Staying silent would be the real betrayal. A friend who says nothing is not being loyal, only comfortable.

Shakil: You are right. Let us speak to his brother together, so it does not sound like gossip.

Tanim: Good. And we should keep visiting Rony himself. He needs friends more than lectures.