Wednesday, April 1, 2015

A - Addiction

Image courtesy: Google


Aravind closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was an office party; a social event that was inevitable. He had shied away from such gatherings since the past couple of years. Gatherings where the booze flowed aplenty, where people would have a slip of tongue after a drink or two. But that was part of the fun. Only that people hid their embarrassment behind well concealed smiles and shrugs the next day. 

He remembered only too clearly how he had been one of them. Though he had always a social drinker, the occasional drink slowly turned into a regular habit. In the beginning, there were always an excuse to have a drink in the evenings, just before dinner. A way to wind down after a stressful day. To celebrate a promotion. To mark the arrival of a new member in the family. 

And before he realized it, he started looking for reasons to drink. The sight of the golden liquid swirling amongst the ice cubes set his spirits roaring. It gave him such a high that when the losses started happening right before his eyes, he turned a blind eye towards it. 

"Papa..." The voice of his daughter broke Aravind from his reverie. 

Seeing the sight of her in the baby pink dress he smiled. The net floating around gave her the appearance of a cherubic angel. She was the reason he had curbed his addiction. Seeing her frightened eyes when he came home drunk one night left something broken inside him. Was it her disappointment? Or the fact that he was missing out on those most precious moments of her life? 

All he knew then was that if he did not make a conscious effort himself, there was no way to break from its clutches. Losing is daughter was not a risk he was prepared to take. No matter what the cost. He wanted to be the best father for his little girl. He still enjoyed the occasional drink or two, in the comfort of his home. But no longer does he allow it to define who he is. He felt the small fingers of his daughter wrap around his. Looking down, he realized that it was her innocent laughter that had always been his high. 


Linking this post to the A to Z Challenge

61 comments:

  1. Lovely beginning Aathira. Such a positive story. If everyone found such highs, addiction would be sweet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Preethi! Yours is the first comment on my A :) Indeed. If only more people were like that.

      Delete
  2. This is great start!! Touching the heart as always!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Ruchi :) I loved your story too!

      Delete
  3. Sometimes we need a wake up call to see how our addictions are effecting us and the people around us. Wonderful story :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly. Thank you, Prasanna! I'm looking forward to reading more of your story too :)

      Delete
  4. Last year I started off this challenge with addiction. Strange you chose it this year! We are soul sisters, I tell you :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahahaa!!! We are definitely soul sisters :) Thanks Babe!

      Delete
  5. I love the last line. It makes it so touching! I do understand an occasional drink, but losing oneself to a few glasses of fermented stuff, no thanks!! :D And then of course there are people who drink to forget worries. In the story I am glad the daughter managed to propel him towards change :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot, Vidya! I wanted to end the story on a positive note. Thanks to the daughter :)

      Delete
  6. What's important in life is so nicely depicted in your story. Addictions if not checked in time can be devastating. Nice start to the A to Z

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think our children make us want to be better.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I wrote on Addiction too for my first A to Z! (This is my third year :D)
    Glad that he got that timely nudge to stay away from this addiction! It can totally mess up with your life and those of those around you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 3rd year of A to Z? WOW! Thanks so much for reading, Shilpa! I'm loving your posts :)

      Delete
  9. Super sweet ending, Aathira :) I liked that. I don't mind getting addicted to a child's laughter. It's joyful :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Leo :) A child's laughter is the sweetest addiction :)

      Delete
  10. Nice to see a father loving his daughter enough to give up something he cares dearly about. All the best, love :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Hon! It's so good to see you back after a break :) Hope the new job is treating you well.

      Delete
  11. Loved the story, Aathira. I only wish the love of a child could prevent more fathers from becoming addicts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Corinne! I wish a lot more fathers would listen to their children every now and then.

      Delete
  12. That was a beautiful story. Loved it.

    PS: Good luck with the challenge

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nice take on the prompt. And a very sweet story :)

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  14. How sweet and adorable! Great way to kick start A to Z! Loved it. Will be back tomorrow for more :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Shalu! I shall be blog hopping on to yours regularly for my daily dose of idioms :)

      Delete
  15. Thank God for the wake-up call. Thought provoking story for all those who booze uncontrollably.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. Better late than never! Thank you, Ajay :)

      Delete
  16. A for Addiction - love the short story :) x

    ReplyDelete
  17. Daughters have a way of melting their dad's heart :) Lovely start Aathira :)

    A Stranger In The Mirror

    ReplyDelete
  18. If only every person who drinks could take a step back and do this. Well written and the message hit home strongly.

    ReplyDelete
  19. That's a nice and humble beginning. Short and ends with a message. What could be any better? :)
    My take is A for Acceptance.
    http://bluesomeheart.blogspot.in/2015/04/acceptance.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Namrata! I'm hopping over to your blog right away :)

      Delete
  20. Poignant theme for the challenge. Great piece of writing here.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Your blog is new to me, and I found your short evocative post so moving. I look forward to reading more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for your kind words :) I hope you do come back and visit.

      Delete
  22. The Last line touched my heart. It was a lovely read :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Ina! I'm heading over to your blog right away to read your take on A :)

      Delete
  23. You need strength, determination and love to break away form an addiction! Well written Aathira :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well said, Shanx! Thank you :) I shall visit your blog today. Somehow missed it yesterday.

      Delete
  24. It is sad when people become addicted to something that could hurt them, or others. I think sometimes social drinking is condoned, when that might not always be the best, either. For instance, I used to find it kind of problematic when people joked about having drinking games on Twitter for every time someone said a certain word on a show or a speech. Perhaps those were just jokes, but just because you are drinking with a group does not make it safer, or less addicted than doing it alone. But alcohol is not the only dangerous addiction. There are many types of addiction.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. It varies from person to person. Some reformed addicts cannot stand even the occasional social drink. Depends on an individual. And yes, there are many types of addiction. Unfortunately, I'll have to explore them in some other posts.

      Thank you, Julia!

      Delete
  25. Beautiful! :)
    Realization and acceptance are the first step towards the change.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi there!
    I’m stopping by during the A to Z Challenge. I enjoyed stopping by and hope you get the chance to check out my blog sometime during this month. I’m a children’s book author and I’m reviewing different books. Good luck with the challenge!
    Take care,
    Donna L Martin
    www.donnalmartin.com
    author THE STORY CATCHER
    coauthor CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL: ANGELS AMONG

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome to my blog, Donna! Glad you liked my blog :) I shall definitely visit your blog soon. Your theme sounds very interesting. I love children's books!

      Delete
  27. Lovely story :) I wish more daughters had this effect on their fathers.

    Ishithaa

    ReplyDelete
  28. Loved the story Aathira...Very well written :)

    -Nikita @Njkinny's World of Books & Stuff

    ReplyDelete
  29. Oh wow, it's a beautiful sweet flash fiction :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Lovely touching story Aathira. Very well written :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Lovely touching story Aathira. Very well written :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Beautiful story. Well, a daughter will always be a daddy's weakness :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. it's wonderful to see a little girl making such a huge difference :) A sweet story.

    ReplyDelete

Your feedback is always appreciated! Thank you!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...