What if - 3

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 7; the seventh edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

The results were out and Sameer had passed his engineering exams with flying colors. He ranked 3rd in the college and he wanted to join an MNC, despite his dad’s insistence to join the family business. He had already been placed in a renowned company and he had to join them in about 15 days. He lost count of the days as he started perpetrations for leaving his home town for Pune, where he had been placed by the company. Sameer was very expectant and excited about the future and was very confident that he would do well.

He joined his office and really liked the environment, the people and the seniors. He felt like he’d joined his college again. The office had the same hustle-bustle, the same vibes as the college.

In a month he had a group of 5 guys who were around his age and all were from good colleges with wonderful grades.

Life seemed to throw new challenges everyday and Sameer was dealing every challenge like a pro. But while his professional graph was on the rise, his love graph was sticking to the ‘x’ axis only. Sameer really liked a colleague, Shalini, but was not able to express his feelings to her. They really never talked to each other except for professional reasons but he always waited for that occasional smile that made his day. The gang knew about it and left no card unturned when it came to pulling his leg.

Days went by, and the fast, monotonous life of the corporate world started to get the better of him. What frustrated him more was the fact that he couldn’t convey his feelings to that girl. He started to unwind himself by going to late night parties with other colleagues, and while the others were busy working or sleeping, Sameer was enjoying his new found freedom in pubs.

Sameer was a regular to a pub and had made a lot of friends there. One day, he saw a beautiful girl and asked her if he could buy her a drink. She accepted and as the drink came she pulled out a strip of some medicine and put a couple of pills into the drink. Sameer was puzzled. Upon asking, the girl was surprised that he did not know the latest trend of drug abuse, Prescription drugs. She insisted that he should try it once. Sameer couldn’t deny and he had an amazing high that day. She explained him all about the different medications that could be mixed with drinks and the different effects they had.

Soon, Sameer was trying it all, and as the momentary pleasure was rising, Sameer was getting more and more isolated from work, friends, and family. His health started to deteriorate and he felt helpless but couldn’t get out of that habit of drug abuse. He also had to quit his job because he was not able to cope up with it.

Today, he sat outside the rehabilitation centre thinking, ‘Why was this happening to me?’

‘What if I had listened to my folks and join the family business?’

‘What if I had expressed my love to Shalini and settled down with her?’

‘What if I had not resorted to drug abuse or pub culture to break out of the routine?’

‘What if I didn’t ask that girl for a drink that night?’

‘What if I could just say NO, that day?’

*******************************************

Epilogue: Prescription drug abuse by teens and young adults is a serious problem in the United States and is fast spreading in other parts of the world. As per a study:
1 in 5 teens has abused a prescription (Rx) pain medication
1 in 5 report abusing prescription stimulants and tranquilizers
1 in 10 has abused cough medication
Many teens think these drugs are safe because they have legitimate uses, but taking them without a prescription to get high or “self-medicate” can be as dangerous – and addictive – as using street narcotics and other illicit drugs.

It just takes one moment to let our guard down and succumb to the desire to try it once, but it would only give us a lifetime of pain and suffering.

So, please take a stand and “Say No to Drugs.”

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.