A SLIPPERY SLOPE & SILENT EPIDEMIC

NOOP, a bright young man from Kottayam, had high hopes when he landed a job at a reputed IT company in Bengaluru through campus placement. Hailing from a middle-class family, his success was seen as a beacon of promise for his future. But within two years of joining the firm, Anoop found himself staring at a disheartening email from HR—his dismissal owing to poor performance.

- UNNIKRISHNAN S @T'Puram

NOOP, a bright young man from Kottayam, had high hopes when he landed a job at a reputed IT company in Bengaluru through campus placement. Hailing from a middle-class family, his success was seen as a beacon of promise for his future. But within two years of joining the firm, Anoop found himself staring at a disheartening email from HR—his dismissal owing to poor performance. The news was crushing, but it was not the only shock in Anoop's life. The real story lay in the journey that led him to this point: a path marred by substance abuse and its devastating impact on his personal and professional life.

Anoop's descent into addiction began in the most unremarkable way. At the IT company, he became immersed in a fast-paced hustle culture, where bonding with colleagues over weekend parties was the norm. During one such outing, he was introduced to drugs—something he had never even considered before. Raised by a teetotaler father, Anoop had no prior exposure to such substances, but the temptation to fit in with his colleagues was too strong. "Why not?" he thought, rationalizing it as part of the social experience.

At first, it was just a one-time affair. The euphoria of the drug was an escape from the pressures of work and life. But as time passed, that fleeting pleasure turned into a need. Anoop found himself relying on the drug not just on weekends, but whenever stress at work became unbearable. The once occasional indulgence became a regular habit, and soon he found himself needing more to achieve the same high. His performance at work began to suffer, but Anoop, trapped in the cycle, couldn't break free.