QUESTIONS I WAS ASKED AND MY ANSWERS; QUESTION 1: Did your addiction to drugs bring about distance from your friends or did they support and try to get you help? ANSWER: After being expelled from King’s College Budo, where I completed my Ordinary Level (grades 6 to 10), I transferred to Aga Khan High School for my Senior 5 and 6 (grades 11 and 12). The transition marked a break in my relationships with the friends I had in Budo, as I did not stay in touch with them. At Aga Khan, I made new friends, but they were not supportive as I fell deeper into addiction. Many of them were also drinking or smoking weed, dealing with their own struggles without the guidance to confront them. In essence, my friends from Budo moved on without me, while those from Aga Khan shared my path into addiction, pulling me further down the spiral. QUESTION 2: How was it building trust with others after they saw your addiction? Did you receive a lot of judgement? ANSWER: Addiction often leads to a loss of trust. While I was drinking, I faced significant criticism and judgment—this is inevitable. However, when I maintained sobriety, the trust I lost was restored. I recall one particular incident when my uncle was getting married—this was while I was still drinking. I had been chosen to be one of his groomsmen, but due to my drinking habits, he changed his mind and excluded me. At that time, he couldn’t entrust me with anything. In recovery, this same uncle had a completely different level of confidence in me. He entrusted me with managing his lakeside property, ensuring it was cared for as we sought tenants. I lived in a five-bedroom house by the lakeside alone, and he had no doubts about my reliability. This would have been unthinkable during the years of my addiction. So yes, addiction brings judgment and a loss of trust. But recovery offers redemption and the chance to rebuild trust, often to a level greater than before. While there is hope and renewal in recovery, the best path is to avoid heading into addiction in the first place. QUESTION 3: What was your favorite drug that helped you to cope? ANSWER: Alcohol. QUESTION 4: My friend is addicted to vaping, should I tell my mom? ANSWER: Directly telling your mom might lead to rising tensions. A better approach would be to first speak with your school counselor, who can help navigate the situation and manage any potential shock that could inevitably arise. The key is opening up to someone, and in this case, the school counselor is the best option. They are highly trained to handle such matters and can provide the guidance needed to address the issue with care. Once you build trust with them, they will work to bring about a resolution that minimizes tension and emotional strain and promotes healing. Keeping such concerns to yourself can be overwhelming and harmful. Sharing this burden with someone equipped to help, like the school counselor, ensures a more constructive and less emotionally taxing path forward. QUESTION 5: What was the first step you took to break your addiction? ANSWER: I made a decision without any reservations. Remarkably the grace of God backed me in an amazing way to a tune of events that unfolded miraculously. To break any habit, it takes a turn of the will—a choice, a resolution, a decision. The will is entirely not sufficient to help one stay sober for the long run but it kickstarts the process of settling in God’s grace to cement that sobriety. Many times, I relied solely on the will and failed, eventually relapsing. Miraculously though, my decision to stop drinking this time round was backed by God. I’ve never had a drink since March 26th, 2012. QUESTION 6: How did you almost get HIV? ANSWER: During blackouts—periods of amnesia where I couldn’t recall events that happened while I was drunk that were many, almost twice a week for those 8 years I was drinking and smoking marijuana—I feared that I might have ended up in risky sexual situations and also during hangovers, I slept with someone I feared was positive. These moments of uncertainty and vulnerability were deeply unsettling. I later eventually got tested and found that I was negative. QUESTION 7: Are you able to tell us some of your stories about your situation? ANSWER: I have countless stories from my journey through addiction and recovery. One thing I can confidently say is that life is so much better in recovery. Most importantly, I am better. I’ve shared many of these experiences in detail on my blog, where I’ve written extensively about my life and my journey. Feel free to explore it to gain deeper insights into my story. QUESTION 8: When was the moment you decided you wanted to quit and get better and what was going through your mind? ANSWER: I was at university at the time in 2012, struggling with missed papers and retakes. I felt overwhelmed, unsure how I could catch up, and deeply guilty knowing that my loved ones were paying for my education while I was squandering their support by drinking. That guilt played a significant role in pushing me toward the decision to quit. Hearing friends recount the crazy things I had done while drunk only added to my shame and reinforced my resolve. I was trapped in a corner by the shame and guilt, which ultimately compelled me to decide that I wanted to get better. At the same time, I felt deeply ambivalent. Quitting meant facing the enormous task of catching up with my studies, a burden that seemed impossibly heavy at the time. Eventually, I did quit, but the backlog was too great. I ended up dropping out of university in 2013. While I didn’t leave with a degree, I walked away with something far more precious—my sobriety. QUESTION 9: What if that person is too deep in their addiction? ANSWER: There’s always hope, even for someone who seems too deep in their addiction. One of the greatest challenges I’ve encountered in helping others is seeing how those closest to the individual often rely on emotional solutions. While this approach reflects a deep love and care for their loved one, it rarely turns out well. It’s similar to a doctor trying to treat their own family member—something discouraged both in medicine and psychology, but often overlooked when it comes to a loved one struggling with addiction. The key lies in wisdom (skill and inspired guidance) and seeking the right kind of support. With proper guidance and care, recovery is not only possible but entirely attainable. QUESTION 10: Were there times people tried to advise you but you pushed it to the side? ANSWER: Yes, there were many times I received advice and genuinely wanted to change, but I’ve come to realize that much of the advice I was given wasn’t effective. The best way to explain this is that addiction is a disease. It’s like someone who knows nothing about arrhythmias trying to advise a person having them on how to stop. Such advice, however well-meaning, can be disastrous. The best person to consult for heart conditions is a cardiologist. Similarly, in the case of addiction, we often overlook the need for qualified help and rely on advice from well-meaning but untrained people, which can be ineffective and even harmful. I was given a lot of advice, but it wasn’t the right kind. If someone had told me to focus on building my self-esteem back then, it would’ve made a world of difference. Unfortunately, most of the advice came from people who cared but didn’t have the expertise to truly help. QUESTION 11: How were your relationships affected by your addiction? ANSWER: Addiction puts a strain on relationships. I write extensively about this on my blog. Feel free to visit it. QUESTION 12: Do you think your low self-esteem affected your addiction or was it your choice to have that lifestyle? ANSWER: Low self-esteem inevitably leads to poor life choices, and it played a significant role in my addiction. I gravitated toward the wrong crowd because they gave me a sense of belonging—a feeling rooted in low self-esteem. I picked up their habits, including drinking and using drugs. I wasn’t confident, and alcohol provided a temporary boost to my confidence, which got me hooked. Lack of confidence is often a symptom of low self-esteem. So yes, my low self-esteem pushed me deeper into addiction. Alcohol and drugs offered an easy escape from the discomfort I felt while sober. With low self-esteem, it’s incredibly difficult to make the right choices. QUESTION 13: Are you certain that this will change the people who are already vaping here? ANSWER: That, I’m not certain about. However, what I do know is that by sharing my experiences, I’ve sown seeds of awareness and reflection in those who have listened. These seeds might not lead to immediate change, but they have planted the possibility of goodness and growth. All I can hope for is that these seeds eventually blossom into beautiful and transformative outcomes, inspiring listeners to make healthier and better life choices. QUESTION 14: Have you ever been in an AA meeting? If so, what is the craziest drug abuse story you’ve ever heard? ANSWER: Yes, I have attended AA meetings, and I’ve heard many powerful and heartbreaking stories of addiction. However, what is shared in those rooms stays in those rooms, so I can only share the craziest thing I personally did. Once, I stole some dollars from a friend’s house where I had spent the night. Her mom had planned to use the money to buy breakfast. Later while still there, I confessed, but the shame I felt was overwhelming and deeply humbling. Why do I say that this is crazy? Addiction had lowered me to a point of stealing. That was, in my books, crazy! QUESTION 15: Did you take more education after your addiction? ANSWER: No, I did not. I decided to work on my healing and growth. But “going back to university” is something I’m deeply pondering about to study something in Psychology. QUESTION 16: Did your mom get over her drinking obsession? ANSWER: Yes, my mom made 3 years sober this month (April 2025).